Truth, Justice, and Compassion

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Sermon Title. Truth, Justice, and Compassion

 

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Big Idea:- "God cares about our relationships with other people."

 

How might my attitudes break the commandments in Exodus 23?

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1 “Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.

 

Do I need to be more careful about which stories I tell?

 

Do I need to check if they are really true?

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2 “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, 3 and do not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit.

 

Is there some group I want to belong to so much that I don't want to think too carefully about where they are headed?

 

Am I ready to stand alone for the truth?

 

Is there some group of people I am more inclined to give the benefit of the doubt to than others? Is this right?

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4 “If you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it. 5 If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it.

 

If I hear something false said that would lead to someone, even my enemy, losing their reputation, would I speak up with the truth?

 

If I see someone I dislike having trouble with something, do I offer to help them?

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6 “Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.

 

Am I reluctant to credit a "bad" person with having done something good?

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7 Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty

 

When I hear an accusation against someone, do I accept it at face value or do I ask if it is true?

 

Is there someone I need to reach out to today?

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8 “Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent.

 

How many of the so-called good things of the world have I accepted, and how have they blinded my eyes to the truth?

 

In what ways does the desire for worldly things lead me to twist God's word in order to justify my having them?

 

Am I twisting something innocent because of what I can get out of it?

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9 “Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.

 

Am I as ready to help outsiders as I am to help those who I think belong?

 

Do I think about what I would feel if I were in the shoes of the one experiencing the results of my words or actions?

 

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Philippians 3: 12 - 14 "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

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On Our Best Behavior

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On Our Best Behavior

Most book lovers have a favorite spot to do their leisure reading. They like to read while lying on the beach, for example, or sitting at a sidewalk cafe. But almost no one does their leisure reading at a law library—not even lawyers. The shelves are weighed down with massive volumes, richly bound and embossed in gold. Lift one from the shelf, and one finds countless pages of legal regulations and judicial opinions, all printed in small type and carefully indexed. They are books people read when they have to, not because they want to. No doubt a lawyer would protest that the law has a beauty all its own. But an honest lawyer will admit that sometimes the law can be tedious. People often feel this way about the laws in the Bible. As legal codes go, the Old Testament law is relatively brief. The whole law can be bound in a slim paperback. But when most people read through it, they find it hard to concentrate. They get so little out of the law that they wonder whether it’s really worth the trouble.

But there are many good reasons to study the Old Testament law. It teaches us what God expects. It guides us into godliness. It exposes our sin and thus shows us our need for the gospel. But the law does something else that is very exciting: It reveals God’s character. This makes the Old Testament law different from any law code or book of court decisions. The law reveals the Lawgiver. We do not study it to find out what we have to do, but to know our God. And as we study and apply his law to our lives, we are conformed to his character. Also, every law on the list teaches us something about God, and together these laws show us how to live for his glory. That brings us to our big idea this morning which is God desires His people to reflect His character and live for His glory.

Let’s pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word and that we can open it up, read it and study it. Lord, you have given us your Word so that we can learn more about who you are and what you’ve done for us and how much you love us. Your Word also tells us how to live our lives on this earth. So, Lord, pour out your Holy Spirit on us as we read and study your Word this morning in order to know you more as you reveal yourself to us and help us to go out from this place in obedience living out what we have read and studied. In Jesus’ name, Amen. ​​ 

Our first point this morning is Consequences found in Exodus 22:16-20. This is what God’s Word says, “If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price, and she shall be his wife. If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must still pay the bride-price for virgins. “Do not allow a sorceress to live.” ​​ “Anyone who has sexual relations with an animal is to be put to death.” “Whoever sacrifices to any god other than the Lord must be destroyed.”

This first law is a connector between the property laws we studied last week and the social responsibility laws we will study this morning. This is because the consequences have to do with paying restitution. This law is about premarital sex between a man and a virgin girl. It is not a case of rape or the consequences for the male would have been to be put to death. It is a case of consensual sex on the part of the man and the woman. God gave this law to protect the girl and the rights of her father or family. Back then when a couple were to be married, the man would ask the girl’s father for his blessing. This was an important part of the process. The father had the right to refuse but if the man was of honorable character the father would probably give his permission.

They would then settle on the bride-price which was compensation to the father and family for the services of the daughter that would be lost once she was married. When a couple decided to get married it was assumed that both parties were sexually pure which would speak to their reputation and character. Premarital sex in the Israelite covenant community was not to happen. Sex was only to be a part of the marriage covenant. Neither a man nor a woman was to sleep around and have casual sex. If a man seduced a virgin, he had to do the right thing and marry her. In fact, the man didn’t have a choice. He would be required to marry the woman and pay the father the bride-price. This was a powerful incentive for the men to be on their best behavior and not seduce a virgin. But there was an exception to this law: the girl’s father could refuse to give his blessing, but the man would still have to pay the bride-price for her. The reason for this was because if the girl was not a virgin her marriage possibilities were lessened. But not having to pay the bride-price would have been an incentive for other men to ask for the father’s blessing in marrying his daughter. Ryken says, this law was “designed to promote godly patterns of courtship, marriage and sex, in that order. A real man of God could be trusted to preserve his own chastity and to protect the purity of women.” This is in keeping with the character of God. Because He is holy and pure, he wants us to preserve the purity of our sexuality. (Big Idea)

Next, we see three capital crimes in short, quick succession. The consequences for all three were the death penalty because they were an abomination to the Lord and attempted to substitute salvation in Yahweh with something else. Each of them involves false worship and kept the offender from salvation in the one true and living God. The first crime is being a sorceress. This was also true for a man who practiced sorcery as well. A sorcerer or sorceress told fortunes, communicated with the dead and practiced the occult which were absolutely forbidden in the covenant community. The pagan laws also punished sorcery with death, but they made an exception for what they called white magic. In Israel there was no distinction between black magic and white magic. They were both prohibited. When we go to a fortune-teller, visit a spirit shop or call the psychic hotline, we are trying to know our future apart from God’s will or trying to manipulate God’s will by using satanic powers. Doing these things gives Satan an opening to come into our hearts and minds and set up shop in our bodies and souls. When a person is involved in these practices, it keeps them from placing their faith in God alone and wanting to be in a relationship with Him. God wants us to trust in Him alone to know what His will is for each one of us. Leviticus 20:27 says, “A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death.” A sorcerer or sorceress was not allowed to live. They received the death penalty.

The second crime is so heinous we don’t even want to think about it: bestiality or having sex with an animal. This is deviant behavior and lowers God’s ultimate creation to the same level as the animals. It goes against the natural order of the world as God created it. This law was imposed because it was involved in the false worship of the pagan cultures around them. Their deities were portrayed participating in bestiality, and it was part of ritual pagan worship. Again, these practices substituted a false religion, a sexually based fertility religion, for a saving relationship with God. It was forbidden and the consequence was death. Leviticus 18:24-25 says, “Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you become defiled. Even the land was defiled; so, I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.” One of the reasons why the Canaanites and other peoples were to be destroyed, and the Promised land given to God’s chosen people, was because of these filthy practices. God did not want His chosen people to be contaminated by the false worship of their gods. This was an open act of rebellion against the authority of the covenant king and the penalty was death.

The third crime is idolatry, the worship and offering of a sacrifice to other gods besides the one true God. This was a direct violation of the first commandment: to have no other gods before the Lord. It was an open act of rebellion or treason for anyone in the covenant community to worship other gods. This crime again kept people from a saving relationship with God and eternal salvation through Him. The penalty for committing this crime was to be destroyed. The word used here for “death” is different from the other words used for death in the Book of the Covenant. Ryken says, “This word means surrendering something to God for the purpose of utter and complete destruction.” This is the same word used in the book of Joshua for the destruction of the men, women, children and animals of the Canaanites as they conquered the land. Anyone and anything potentially hostile to God was to be destroyed. Literally, the guilty person, their family, possessions, etc. were to be a whole burnt offering to God on His altar. This was a serious matter, and we realize why idol worship was Israel’s greatest temptation both in the wilderness and the Promised Land.

The Israelites didn’t stop worshiping the Lord; they just worshiped other gods alongside Him. This syncretism, or the worshiping other gods alongside the one true God, still gets us in trouble today. We try to worship God alongside money, power, other people, other religions, possessions, etc. It comes down to wanting to be our own god and do our own thing without someone else telling us how to behave or act. But as Christ-followers we must reflect the character of God and live for him and his glory not our own (Big Idea). This means not trying to control or manipulate God by using satanic powers, not violating the sanctity of his image in us by acting like animals and it means not worshiping other gods alongside Him. That brings us to our first next step on the back of your communication card this morning which is to worship no other gods alongside the one true God. Let us be people who only worship the one true and living God.

That brings us to our second point this morning, Compassion, found in Exodus 22:21-27. This is what God’s Word says, “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt. “Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless. “If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest. If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, return it by sunset, because that cloak is the only covering your neighbor has. What else can they sleep in? When they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.”

What follows is three laws about how God’s people were to behave toward the disadvantaged and defenseless in the covenant community. The first law was a prohibition against mistreating or oppressing a foreigner. The word used for “oppress” literally means “to be squeezed” and can be used for all kinds of physical and psychological oppression. These would have been people who were living among the covenant community but were not natural born Jews. They didn’t have the rights of full citizens, such as ownership of land, or legal and political rights. They also didn’t have any family or clan support, they didn’t know the language, or the laws of the land which made them more likely to be exploited. They had no one to help them and no one to protect their rights.

Now these foreigners would have had to stop worshiping and sacrificing to their foreign gods, and this may be why this law was placed right after the laws prohibiting the practice of false religions around them. God wanted to make the distinction between foreign worship practices and the foreigners who lived among them. Reminds me of hate the sin and not the sinner. God’s covenant law required that His people behave properly toward the foreigners among them because this was the character of God. The Lord loves all people, even the foreigners who live among us, and He provides for them just as he provides for us. The Lord then gives the reason why they were to not mistreat or oppress the foreigner among them. It was because they knew what it was like to be a foreigner in Egypt. They knew what it meant to be in slavery and “squeezed” by physical and psychological oppression. God was reminding them of their time of slavery in Egypt and commanding them to be different when the shoe is on the other foot. But God knew human nature. He knew that when we are hurt by someone, in our humanness, we want to hurt someone else. So, he warned His people against the mistreatment of the foreigner among them. The mistreatment of foreigners was prevalent in pagan society and God demanded that His people be different and behave differently if they were going to be part of His holy, covenant people.

The second law was a prohibition against taking advantage of widows and orphans. These were the weakest and most vulnerable members of society in that day. They had no husbands or fathers to watch over them and to protect them or their welfare. Women could not own property and widows had no legal rights because they were normally represented by their husbands. If they were too old to work, they had no way to support themselves or get enough food to survive. A widow could end up being a slave working for virtually nothing. Orphans were in the same boat. If they had no inheritance, they could be forced to work for whatever someone would pay them. If they could not find work or no one took them into their home, they could starve or freeze to death. So, God made it the responsibility of the entire covenant community to care for the widows and orphans. He said they were not to be taken advantage of meaning they were not to be “abused, humiliated or afflicted” in any way.

Because of the seriousness of the plight of the widow and the orphan, this law came with a warning and a promise of punishment. God will “certainly” hear their cries just as He heard the cries of the Israelites in Egypt. This kind of behavior will not go unnoticed, and the same fate will await the Israelite oppressors that the Egyptian ones received. The Lord’s anger would be aroused, and he would kill them with the sword. These were covenant curses that God would bring against them meaning God would allow Israel’s enemies to attack and exterminate them from the face of the earth if they didn’t fulfill their responsibilities when it came to social justice. Their wives would become widows, and their children would become fatherless. This was divine lex talionis, an eye for an eye. If you oppressed widows and orphans, then you would expect to be punished by death and your wives and children became widows and orphans. This was not considered an individual act in the covenant community. The Lord would consider this injustice a matter of public concern, and the Lord would intervene and impose a punishment on the nation that fit the crime. Mackay says, this is an “impassioned expression of the Lord himself as he seeks to teach the people regarding the sort of conduct he expects from them and the penalties that will follow the disregard of his will.”

The third law commanded proper behavior toward the poor in the covenant community. The term “my people” shows that the Lord identified with all covenant people no matter their wealth or stature within the community. The Lord was teaching His people the correct behavior towards those in their community who have fallen on hard times. They were to be generous toward them and not to take advantage of them in their struggles. The righteous person would be willing to help them without question, being generous toward them and lending to them without charging interest of any kind. This kind of loan was to be given with the sole purpose of helping their neighbor in need. To make money from your neighbor’s needs would be immoral. But in Luke 6:35, Jesus commands His disciples to go even farther. He says, “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.” Notice what Jesus is telling them. They are to lend without expecting to get back what they lent. The interest free loan now becomes a gift. If they did this for their enemies how much more should they do for their neighbors in the covenant community.

The next part of this law shows that the Lord was speaking about the poorest of the poor here. A pledge was collateral that the person would pay back the loan. If all the person had for collateral was their cloak, it meant that he was very poor and had to pretty much give everything they had to get the loan. The cloak was an outer garment that a person would have used to keep warm at night. Only someone in extreme poverty would have to stoop to such desperate measures. Normally, the lender could have kept the collateral until the loan was paid back but God commanded that they return the cloak to the person by sunset. This ensured not only that the person would be warm as they slept at night but that their health would not be put at risk. This law would also include any essential item, such as food, job, shelter, a family member, being put up as a pledge. The Lord wanted his people to act not on the letter of the law but in a spirit of concern for the good of their fellow human beings. The reason that we need to treat the poor with respect, kindness and compassion is because God is a compassionate God, and we are to reflect His character for His glory (Big Idea).

The standard and model for our behavior is the Lord. That is why these laws are not just for the judges to rule but for us to follow to become more like Him. A good measure of our moral character and our obedience to the one true and living God is how we treat the foreigner, the widow, the orphan and the poor. There was no welfare system in Israel. The covenant community was to take care of those who were the most in need of help. They were not to discriminate against them like the pagan peoples did but were to treat everyone like family. God’s people are called to a higher standard which reflects his compassionate character for all people. So how should we treat the outsider? How should we treat the one who is alone and unprotected? How should we treat the poor? If we are going to call ourselves Christ-followers, we must take responsibility to provide for those who are different from us, weaker than us and poorer than us. God has done these things for us at one time or the other and we must be willing to do the same for those who are in need. ​​ Ephesians 5:1 says, “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” We are called to imitate Christ and one way we can do that is to watch out and provide for the ones who are different from us, weaker than us and poorer than us. That brings us to our second next step which is to watch out and provide for those who are different from me, weaker than me and poorer than me.

Our third point is Consecration found in Exodus 22:28-31. This is what God’s Word says, “Do not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people. “Do not hold back offerings from your granaries or your vats. “You must give me the firstborn of your sons. Do the same with your cattle and your sheep. Let them stay with their mothers for seven days but give them to me on the eighth day. “You are to be my holy people. So do not eat the meat of an animal torn by wild beasts; throw it to the dogs.

In the last section, God commanded His people how he wanted them to behave toward the less fortunate in the covenant community. In this section he commands them how they were to behave towards those more fortunate or higher than they were in the covenant community. They were to be “holy” people, totally consecrated and set apart for God and to His service. If they were living holy lives, it would be seen in their speech. Proverbs 18:21 says, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” God cares about how we talk about him and others. In the first law, God addressed how they were to talk towards Him. They were not to “blaspheme” God. The word used here for “blaspheme” is the same word used in Exodus 21:17, talking about cursing father or mother. This was behaving disrespectfully toward the Lord. We owe the Lord honor and glory for who He is. He is sovereign, holy, just and the ruler over all things in heaven, on the earth and below the earth. To “blaspheme” God means making “light” of Him, disparaging Him, insulting Him, treating Him with contempt and refusing to accept His authority. Failing to acknowledge His glory and majesty is a sin against the third commandment “to not take His name in vain.” We owe one another compassion because all people are made in the image of God, and we owe God our total respect and honor because he is our awesome God.

Also, they were not to curse those whom God had put in charge over them. They were His delegates on the earth, and they were to respect them and behave properly toward them in their speech because they were divinely appointed by God himself. The word for “curse” means to usurp the authority given to them by God, and to take it for ourselves. Paul says this in Romans 13:1-2, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.” Even though no punishment is mentioned here, if you “cursed” any authority in the covenant community you would be judged, and the punishment would probably be death as it was in Exodus 21:17.

What else did they owe God? The Israelites owed God the first fruits of their field and vineyards. They owed the best to their covenant Lord. The second law stated they were not to hold back these offerings from the Lord. We also owe God the first and best of our resources. We owe him the best of what we have because we love Him and want to obey him in all things and in every aspect of our lives. To “hold back” suggests that we should not delay in giving back to Him. Trapp says, “True obedience is prompt and present, ready and speedy, without demurs and consults.” After speaking to the covenant people about not withholding a poor man’s cloak, the Lord now speaks to them about not withholding from Him the first and best of what he has given to them. If it is wrong to withhold a person’s cloak at night, how much worse would it be to withhold the first and the best of our resources from Him? This would be a direct act of covenant defiance against their covenant King.

In the third law, God also required they give Him their firstborn sons and the firstborn of their cattle and sheep. This goes back to God’s commandment to the Israelites in Exodus 13:1-2 which says, “The Lord said to Moses, “Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.” Israel was God’s own possession by right of creation and redemption. As a reminder of what he had done for them, he required his people to consecrate the firstborn of their sons and animals to him. The firstborn male sons were redeemed with a price which substituted for their lives. The firstborn animals were to stay with their mother for seven days before being given or sacrificed to the Lord on the eighth day. This would fatten the newborn animal making it more desirable as a sacrifice to the Lord and lessen the shock to the mother in losing their newborn too early. The “eighth day” was a precise length of time again reminding His people to not delay their offerings to him. It also reminded them of circumcision, which every male was required to have done, marking them as part of the covenant community. We are to be God’s holy people, set apart from the world to do His will in the world, offering ourselves and our resources to Him. Remarkable things happen in congregations and with individuals when there is a consecration of self and resources. That brings us to our third next step on the back of your communication card which is to Consecrate myself and my resources to the Lord to be used for His will.

The fourth law reiterates that the Israelites were to be God’s holy people and so they were not to eat meat of an animal torn apart by “wild beasts.” This was for a couple of reasons. One, it may have had blood still in it, which was forbidden to eat. Two, it could be contaminated by the heat and being left outside for a period of time which would make it a health concern. But these concerns were only part of it. Ryken says, “It was a matter of ritual purity. In order to teach his people how important it was for them to remain separated from sin, God distinguished between clean and unclean animals.” The food regulations were to be a perpetual symbolic reminder of their privileged status not just as individuals but as His covenant community. Meat that had been “torn by wild animals” was not fit to be eaten by His holy and consecrated people. It was only good to be fed to the dogs.

God wanted his people to be holy in every part of their life. He wanted them to have an uncompromising personal devotion to Him. This meant every day and in every aspect of their lives. 1 Peter 1:15-16 says, “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” Mackay says, “This holiness was not arbitrary but derived from the character of God himself.” We are to become more like God and His son, Jesus. We are to be people whose whole lives are stamped with His character and lived for His glory (Big Idea). Our holiness is seen, by only worshiping the Lord, in our compassion for the foreigner, widow, orphan and the poor, in the way we handle our money with both our neighbors and our God and even in what we consume. God wants uncompromising and comprehensive holiness from us. He wants us to be ​​ holy in every aspect of our lives without exception.

Lord Melbourne, Queen Victoria’s first prime minister, is reported to have said that ‘if religion is going to invade a person’s private life, things have come to a pretty pass’. He was a well-intentioned and a good, even religious, man to the extent of attending church on Sunday, but he wanted his religion safely packed away in a box and kept there. The Book of the Covenant says that this is not an option. Like a dog, religion too is not just for Christmas, it is for life. True religion cannot be confined. The Lord demands entrance into every aspect of the life of his redeemed, and he looks to govern every aspect by his revealed truth. Let us be people who strive to live uncompromising and comprehensive holy lives every single day to the glory of God reflecting his character to the world around us. That brings us to our last next step on the back of your communication card which is to Live every aspect of my life with uncompromising and comprehensive holiness unto the Lord.

As Gene & Roxey come to lead us in a final hymn and the ushers prepare to collect the tithes and offerings, let’s pray: God, you are Holy and Sovereign, you are loving and compassionate and Lord we see your many attributes in Your Word and in your law. Thank you that you reveal your character in the law you gave to the Israelites and to us. Help us to reflect your character in our lives and live to glorify you daily. Lord, help us, through your Holy Spirit, strive to worship no other gods alongside You. Help us to watch out and provide for those who are different, weaker, and poorer than us. Help us to consecrate ourselves and our resources to you to be used for your will. And help to strive to live every aspect of our lives with uncompromising and comprehensive holiness. Thank you that you care enough about us to give us your Word. Go before us, guide us into all truth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Making Things Right

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MAKING THINGS RIGHT

In 2001 and 2002 American investors were stunned to watch a series of businesses falter after being exposed for fraudulent criminal activity. They were all major corporations—energy companies, accounting firms, pharmaceutical distributors,​​ and​​ telecommunications companies. These corporations had some of the best reputations in the business. Yet they were all caught breaking the law, and they all suffered the consequences.​​ As federal investigators examined these companies, they discovered they were setting up false accounts, cheating on taxes, inflating their profits, lying​​ about their losses, and generally violating the ethical standards of fair business. In almost every case the corruption went right to the top. The ones guilty of committing the corporate crime turned out to be leading executives. Most Americans took a certain amount of satisfaction from seeing them get what they deserved. In some cases, they had to go to jail​​ and the reputations of these men were destroyed, but was justice really done? Most of their victims never got their money back. In one notorious case, employees who held stock in their own company were denied access to their retirement accounts. By the time they were allowed to sell, it was too late: The company had collapsed, the stock was almost worthless, and their life savings had all but disappeared. Meanwhile, the company’s top executives had been selling off their private holdings of company stock for a huge profit.​​ When something like this happens, what does justice require? How should the victims be compensated? Should the wrongdoers simply be put in jail, or is there something else they should do to make things right?

The more we study the legal cases in Exodus, the clearer it becomes that God’s law is right and good. We would be wise to follow their general principles for justice. Sometimes thieves are thrown in jail, but they don’t always have to pay​​ restitution.​​ Or if they do, the fines are sometimes paid to the state rather than straight to the victim, as the law of Moses required. Corporate fraud is the perfect example. Even when crooked executives are found guilty​​ their victims almost never get back what they’ve lost. But God’s property laws are different. It doesn’t demand jail time at all, but it does require thieves to pay back everything they owe. God’s law also requires restitution when people are negligent.​​ Consider​​ these​​ examples. If your dog digs up your neighbor’s prize begonias, you need to replace them. If you are visiting a friend and knock over an antique vase, you need to pay for it. If you swing late on a fastball and the ball sails through a car window, you need to pay the repair bill. If you borrow a friend’s computer game and accidentally break it, you need to buy a new one.​​ It is not enough to say, “Sorry! It was an accident” and then expect other people to pay for what we’ve done. An apology is a good start, but God’s justice demands that we make things right.​​ It is our responsibility to repair whatever damage we do, whether we meant to do it or not.​​ 

To be in peace and harmony with our fellow human beings we need to be willing to accept responsibility​​ and the consequences​​ for our actions​​ and be willing to make things right.​​ God gave these laws, in the Book of the Covenant, for the express purpose of​​ showing​​ how His people could be in a right relationship with Himself and with others.​​ We might​​ consider​​ these​​ laws​​ mundane​​ and boring,​​ but they were essential for His people to know and obey so they would be right with God and with each other in the covenant community. The same is true for us today. We have the laws of the land that we are supposed to obey and when we​​ do,​​ we can be in a right relationship with our fellow human beings and​​ that​​ goes a long way to being in a right relationship with the Lord which brings us to our big idea this morning that​​ God desires that His people​​ be​​ willing to make things right with others.​​ We can’t be in a right relationship with God if we are not in right relationship with each other. Things are going to happen in life. We may steal​​ property​​ from someone​​ intentionally. We may​​ be negligent and ruin the property of someone​​ else. But peace and harmony can be had among our fellow human beings if we are willing to accept responsibility and the consequences for our actions and go the extra mile to make things right with them. And the added benefit is that we are doing what is pleasing to our holy and just God.​​ 

Before we unpack our scripture this​​ morning, let’s pray:​​ Dear Heavenly Father, we humbly come before you this morning asking that your Holy Spirit speak to us from your Word. We ask that your Word guide us, rebuke us, correct us and show us how to become more like your son, Jesus. We want to honor and glorify you with our thoughts, words and deeds and may your Word lead us to do that daily. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

There are three points this morning. The first point is Property Theft & Damage found in Exodus 22:1-6. This is what God’s Word says, “Whoever steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it must pay back five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep. “If a thief is caught breaking in at night and is struck a fatal blow, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed; but if it happens after sunrise, the defender is guilty of bloodshed.​​ “Anyone who steals must certainly make restitution, but if they have nothing, they must be sold to pay for their theft. If the stolen animal is found alive in their possession—whether ox or donkey or sheep—they must pay back double. “If anyone grazes their livestock in a field or vineyard and lets them stray and they graze in someone else’s field, the offender must make restitution from the best of their own field or vineyard. “If a fire breaks out and spreads into thornbushes so that it burns shocks of grain or standing grain or the whole field, the one who started the fire must make restitution.

This section begins to flesh out the eighth​​ word or commandment that​​ God​​ spoke to Israel, “You shall not steal.”​​ He wanted to​​ protect the sanctity of possessions.​​ He has​​ given​​ human beings​​ the right to own property and possessions, and no one​​ has​​ the right to take what​​ is​​ someone else’s in​​ secret or by force.​​ Everything belongs​​ to​​ God,​​ and he has entrusted some things to each of us and we need to respect his distribution of all that belongs to him. When we steal from our neighbor, we steal what God has personally provided for someone else and so are actually stealing from God.​​ We must trust that God is going to provide all that we need when we need it and so we don’t need to steal​​ it​​ from others.​​ By keeping this command, the Israelites would have unity with each other within the covenant community. But what if someone broke this command? God put the following laws in place so that​​ the offender could make things right and​​ unity could be restored.

There are two things happening in this section.​​ One​​ is​​ an​​ intentional stealing of someone​​ else’s​​ property.​​ Two, is​​ negligence on the part of someone that causes property loss or damage for someone else.​​ Case number one: someone steals an ox or sheep. The reason these laws were important was because to steal these animals was to take a person’s means of livelihood. It would be like if you were a carpenter, and all your tools were stolen. Now today, we may have insurance to get us back on our feet but back then it wasn’t​​ so​​ easy. They didn’t have​​ insurance,​​ and money wasn’t readily available to go out and buy more tools. So, to take a person’s livelihood had serious ramifications.​​ Next,​​ we​​ see​​ a​​ contingency​​ to the law: the​​ thief has slaughtered or sold the stolen animal. This was considered worse than stealing the animal for your own use or​​ having​​ the animal found in your​​ possession​​ because if it was​​ slaughtered​​ or sold it could not be​​ given​​ back to its rightful owner.​​ It also means that the theft was​​ probably​​ intentional.​​ The consequences for stealing an ox​​ or sheep​​ and slaughtering or selling it was​​ the​​ paying​​ of​​ restitution to the owner. The consequence for​​ the ox was five times what​​ was stolen​​ and the consequence for​​ the​​ sheep was four​​ times​​ what​​ was stolen.​​ The restitution for stealing a sheep was less because​​ it was not​​ necessarily​​ a work​​ animal,​​ and the loss would be less substantial​​ than​​ that of an ox.

Case number two​​ speaks to when the theft took place and what sort​​ of​​ defense​​ of your property you were allowed to take. ​​ If the thief​​ was​​ caught stealing during the night and the owner struck​​ them​​ so​​ they​​ died, the owner​​ wouldn’t be​​ guilty of​​ bloodshed​​ because it​​ was​​ considered self-defense. But if the owner killed​​ the thief in broad daylight, the owner would be guilty of​​ bloodshed. Back then it was very dark at night. You may have had torches or candles burning but it​​ was​​ nothing like our civilization today.​​ So,​​ if you came across a thief at night there​​ was​​ no way to know if he​​ was​​ armed or​​ what his intentions​​ were​​ toward you.​​ You were allowed to defend yourself​​ even using deadly force.​​ But you​​ were​​ not allowed to use deadly force in the daylight for​​ a couple of​​ reasons. In the daylight you could see where​​ the​​ thief​​ was​​ and what he​​ was​​ doing. You could​​ tell if he had​​ a weapon or not, and you could​​ call your neighbors to help you. All of these​​ would have been​​ more difficult at night. Plus, in the daylight you could​​ probably identify​​ the thief. If that was the case,​​ you were to let​​ the​​ justice system take its course and not take things into your own hands.

If the​​ thief​​ was​​ caught stealing but couldn’t pay restitution,​​ they were​​ to be sold into servitude until​​ they​​ could pay for​​ their​​ theft.​​ He may have been sold to the person he stole from or to someone else who would have the means​​ to pay out the restitution. The thief would be in servitude until he paid full restitution or until six years were up.​​ Then we​​ see​​ another contingency to case number one:​​ the stolen animal is found alive in the thief’s possession. The consequence then is two times what​​ was stolen.​​ This is because the animal could be returned to its rightful owner.​​ Their​​ livelihood may have been interrupted but it wasn’t destroyed.​​ Paying two times​​ restitution was the thief’s consequences for his actions.​​ These laws showed that God is good and​​ just,​​ and his laws were more merciful than the laws of the pagan peoples in the land.​​ In the pagan nations you could receive the death penalty for theft or for not being able to pay restitution. Also, the penalty varied depending on the social status of who was stolen from. Restitution could be​​ anywhere​​ from ten to thirty times what was stolen.​​ God’s laws showed that even the life of a thief was​​ important and​​ sacred to God.

Next, the law turns to​​ property damage that comes about by someone’s negligence.​​ Case number one:​​ a person’s livestock strays and grazes in another man’s field eating his grass, etc.​​ This wouldn’t have been uncommon because there were no fences around their fields. A lot of times they would put thorn bushes on their property lines but that didn’t always keep the livestock from wandering. This was not intentional,​​ but as the owner of the livestock,​​ you had an obligation to​​ carefully​​ watch your animals to make sure they didn’t graze in your neighbor’s field. This was considered negligence on your part, and you had to pay restitution to your neighbor. Restitution was one to one meaning if the neighbor lost a bushel of something you had to pay back a bushel of the same thing that was lost but the negligent​​ person had to pay restitution with the best he had of his field and vineyard.​​ 

Case number two:​​ a fire breaks out in a​​ person’s​​ field and spreads to their neighbor’s​​ field,​​ and it damages the shocks of grain (grain​​ already gathered), standing grain (grain​​ not gathered) or​​ the entire field. The person who started the fire is to take responsibility and pay one to one restitution of what was lost. Fires were common back then just as they can be today. Just think about the wildfires in California. Someone may have been burning​​ their land to make it more fertile, or fires were known to break out in the thorn bushes that marked the property lines. No matter, the same​​ consequences as the first case​​ applies here.​​ The person who started the fire or the person whose land the fire originated on would be considered negligent because he wasn’t paying attention to what he was doing, and he had to make things right.​​ (Big Idea). God required his people to be responsible for the indirect consequences of​​ their​​ actions toward their neighbor and their possessions.

This reminds me of a story.​​ One Monday,​​ I was burning stuff in a barrel in the back of our property, and I went inside the house for a few minutes. When I looked outside, a dead tree along our property line was engulfed in flames. I ran out and got the​​ hose,​​ but it wasn’t long enough. Our neighbor came over and brought his hose and helped. It took most of the night until I felt​​ comfortable​​ enough to leave and go back inside. I was negligent and could have paid a​​ much​​ higher​​ price than I did. From what I understand, in Adams County, you are not allowed to burn on Mondays because it​​ is​​ considered wash day. If I​​ had​​ had to call the fire department, I would have been hit with a fine.​​ 

That brings us to our second point, Property Custody, found in Exodus 22:7-13. This is what God’s Word says, “If anyone gives a neighbor silver or goods for safekeeping and they are stolen from the neighbor’s house, the thief, if caught, must pay back double. But if the thief is not found, the owner of the house must appear before the judges, and they must determine whether the owner of the house has laid hands on the other person’s property. In all cases of illegal possession of an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any other lost property about which somebody says, ‘This is mine,’ both parties are to bring their cases before the judges. The one whom the judges declare guilty must pay back double to the other. “If anyone gives a donkey, an ox, a sheep or any other animal to their neighbor for safekeeping and it dies or is injured or is taken away while no one is looking, the issue between them will be settled by the taking of an oath before the Lord that the neighbor did not lay hands on the other person’s property. The owner is to accept this, and no restitution is required. But if the animal was stolen from the neighbor, restitution must be made to the owner. If it was torn to pieces by a wild animal, the neighbor shall bring in the remains as evidence and shall not be required to pay for the torn animal.”

Property custody is talking about someone asking​​ someone else to​​ keep their​​ property​​ safe​​ for some reason. They didn’t have banks back then so if you were going away for a period of time you may ask your neighbor to​​ keep your​​ property​​ safe​​ until you returned. The first case is​​ of silver,​​ or goods given to a neighbor for​​ safekeeping​​ that​​ are stolen from​​ the​​ neighbor’s house. If the thief is caught with the stolen goods, he​​ must​​ pay​​ back​​ double, and the possessions​​ are​​ returned to​​ the​​ rightful owner. But if the thief is not found the next likely suspect becomes the neighbor​​ who was​​ given custody of the silver or goods.​​ This person must appear before the judges, take a solemn oath​​ and give​​ his​​ testimony. Based on this testimony, the judges would decide if he was guilty or not.​​ 

Case number two is​​ someone accuses someone else of being​​ in​​ illegal​​ possession of​​ their property.​​ This was considered a willful violation of a covenant obligation.​​ Both parties say that the “possession” is theirs and their dispute​​ goes before the​​ judges. Both parties take solemn oaths,​​ give testimony, and the judges​​ make the final determination. Once the court has​​ ruled, the guilty party​​ is​​ required to pay double restitution to his neighbor.​​ There was no​​ such thing as “finders’​​ keepers” in God’s covenant community.​​ Case number three involves​​ giving custody of an animal to a neighbor for safekeeping​​ and the​​ animal dies,​​ is​​ injured or taken away when no one​​ was​​ looking. The​​ issue​​ would be​​ settled by taking an oath before the Lord. The person in whose custody the animal was​​ in,​​ must “swear”​​ before the Lord​​ that they had nothing criminal to do with what happened to the animal.​​ MacKay says,​​ the oath “uses the LORD, the covenant name of God, and would invoke on the party taking the oath the curse of God if what they claimed were untrue.”​​ The owner would be​​ obligated to accept this oath as proof that​​ the custodian had nothing to do with the killing, injuring or stealing​​ of​​ their​​ animal.​​ And no restitution​​ would be​​ required from the custodian.​​ 

Case number four is​​ an​​ animal​​ is​​ “stolen”​​ from the neighbor whose responsibility it was to watch the animal.​​ The word​​ “stolen” is​​ emphatic meaning it was “certainly” stolen. The difference between this​​ case and the​​ previous one is​​ that​​ here​​ the theft was​​ witnessed​​ by the custodian.​​ The custodian​​ would have been required to do all they could to keep the theft from happening.​​ If​​ the​​ theft still took place,​​ negligence would be​​ assumed,​​ and​​ the custodian would be required to pay restitution.​​ Case number five​​ is​​ an​​ animal​​ in the neighbor’s custody is​​ torn apart by a wild animal. The neighbor was required to bring back as much of the​​ dead​​ animal as possible. This was to prove that the custodian did all that they could to save the​​ neighbor’s​​ property and to also​​ prove that the custodian didn’t steal the animal​​ themselves.​​ If the proof was brought, no payment was required.

These laws showed that God​​ required more from His people. He wanted​​ them​​ to go above and beyond when it came to​​ dealing with their neighbors in the covenant community. This meant that the people of God needed to care more than just about themselves and their own welfare. They needed to care and be concerned for the welfare of their neighbors​​ and for their possessions.​​ If they damaged their neighbor’s property, they​​ needed to be willing to make things right.​​ (Big Idea)​​ They were to treat their neighbors the​​ way they wanted to be treated, and they were to treat their neighbor’s​​ possessions​​ the way they wanted their​​ possessions​​ to be treated.​​ We need to do the same​​ with our neighbors today,​​ which brings us to the first next step on the back of your communication card: My next step is to​​ Treat​​ my​​ neighbor​​ and their​​ possessions​​ the way I want​​ myself​​ and my​​ possessions​​ to be​​ treated.

That brings us to our last point, Property Borrowed, found in Exodus 22:14-15. This is what God’s Word says, “If anyone borrows an animal from their neighbor and it is injured or dies while the owner is not present, they must make restitution. But if the owner is with the animal, the borrower will not have to pay. If the animal was hired, the money paid for the hire covers the loss.”

Case number one is a​​ borrowed​​ animal being injured or dying while its owner is not present.​​ If this is the case the borrower must pay​​ one-to-one​​ restitution,​​ animal for animal.​​ Case number two​​ is if the owner of the animal is present when the​​ borrowed​​ animal is injured or dies. The borrower would not be required to pay restitution​​ because the owner would know if there was any negligence on the part of the borrower or not. In​​ case number one, there would be no way to know for​​ sure,​​ so the borrower​​ had to accept​​ responsibility and the consequences.​​ Case number three​​ is about someone hiring an animal and the animal is injured or dies. In this case, the person who hired the animal out would have been​​ responsible​​ to add in an “insurance” cost for just that contingency. That would cover the loss of the animal and the person who hired the animal would not have to pay any extra. If the person who hired the animal out didn’t include “insurance” in the​​ price,​​ then that was​​ their​​ loss.

The Old Testament property laws​​ are​​ useful for helping us get along with one another. These laws show us the righteous requirements of the law, but what about the grace of the Gospel? How do these property laws help us understand the gospel? Let’s consider the​​ story of Zacchaeus​​ found in Luke 19. Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector in Jericho. He was a thief because he swindled people by overcharging and underreporting on the taxes he collected.​​ As Jesus was passing through Jericho, Zacchaeus wanted to see him. He had heard something about Jesus, his curiosity was aroused, and he was determined to see​​ Jesus for himself. But the crowds were so large, and he was such a​​ short​​ man that he couldn’t get a good look at Jesus.​​ So,​​ he ran ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree.​​ In verse 5, when​​ Jesus saw Zacchaeus up in the tree,​​ he​​ said, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’​​ Zacchaeus jumped down and “welcomed” Jesus, receiving him not only into his home, but also into his heart.​​ In verse 10, it says that​​ Jesus,​​ the Son of Man, “came​​ to seek and to save​​ the​​ lost.”​​ This was what Jesus came to earth to do​​ and he​​ invited himself into the sinner, Zaccheaus’ life,​​ and​​ he​​ responded with the obedience of faith. But now that​​ Zacchaeus​​ had accepted Jesus into his heart, he still had some spiritual work to do. He needed to repent of his sin;​​ he needed to​​ turn away from​​ being a​​ thief. For Zacchaeus, turning away from sin meant making things right with all the people he had cheated. And he promised to do this. He confessed his sin​​ in verse 8b,​​ saying, “If I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”​​ Zacchaeus must have known his Bible, because the idea of making restitution comes right out of Exodus 22. Now that he was in a right relationship with God, he needed to make things right with his fellow human beings​​ so he could be​​ in a right relationship with them as well.​​ (Big Idea)

There is something significant about the promise Zacchaeus made. He told Jesus he would pay back four times as much as he had taken, which​​ was​​ more than the law required.​​ Leviticus 6:4-5 says, “when they sin in any of these ways and realize their guilt, they must return what they have stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to them, or the lost property they found, or whatever it was they swore falsely about. They must make restitution in full, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the owner on the day they present their guilt offering.”​​ According to the book of Leviticus, if a man confessed a theft on his own initiative, he only had to give back what he had stolen plus one-fifth of its value. The regulations in Exodus 22 were only for people who got caught stealing, not for people who came forward to confess what they had done. This shows that people who admit their sin should be treated more leniently.​​ Zacchaeus​​ was paying back 400 percent when all he owed was 120 percent. This​​ was much more than the law required. Then Zacchaeus went one step further. He was not content simply to make up for the sins of the past—he wanted to serve God right away, and he wanted to do it with his money—in the one area of​​ his​​ life where he was such a sinner. So he started emptying his pockets and said to Jesus, in Luke 19:8a,​​ “Look, Lord! Here and​​ now,​​ I give half of my possessions to the poor.”​​ 

God sent his Son,​​ Jesus Christ,​​ to be our Savior. Jesus offered his own life for our sins, dying on the cross to save us. If God has done all this for us, then what will we do for him? At the very least, we will give back what we have stolen and restore what we have damaged. But even more, we will give as much as we can to meet the needs of the poor and to spread the gospel around the world. It is good to stop stealing and better to pay back what we owe, but best of all​​ is​​ to give away what is ours for Jesus’ sake. Hopefully, we will never resort to stealing or be negligent in some​​ way,​​ but we can still respond to the Gospel of Jesus like Zacchaeus did. That brings us to our last next step this morning which is to​​ Respond​​ to the​​ Gospel​​ of Jesus​​ by​​ offering​​ everything​​ I am​​ and​​ have​​ for God’s​​ service.

As the praise team comes to lead us in a final song and the ushers prepare to collect the tithes and offering, let’s pray:​​ Gracious God, thank you for being with us this morning as we have gathered to worship and praise you and give you glory for who you are and what you have done for us. Thank you again for your Word. May be dive deep into it daily for it is powerful, inspired by you and authoritative. Lord God, help us to be in a right relationship with you and with our neighbors. Help us to treat​​ our​​ neighbor and their possessions the way​​ we​​ want​​ ourselves​​ and​​ our​​ possessions to be treated.​​ Help us to respond to the Gospel of Jesus by offering everything​​ we are​​ and​​ everything​​ we​​ have for​​ your​​ service.​​ And may all this be done to your honor, your worship, your praise and your glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.​​ 

Opening: Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes, Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005), 720–721.

Closing: Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes, Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005), 729.

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Justice Is Served

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Justice is Served

Consider the following news items: A man strangles a woman in her city apartment. A young girl vanishes from her home during the night, apparently abducted by a stranger. A homeowner is startled by an intruder, who in the ensuing scuffle strikes a fatal blow. A woman loses control of her ferocious dogs, and they maul a neighbor to death. Stories like these are in the news every day. Each of them raises serious questions about justice: Does a murderer deserve the death penalty? What is the proper sentence for a kidnapper? How much responsibility does someone have for an accidental death or an unintended injury? When does negligence become criminal? It is hard to find agreement on these questions. Just listen to the talk shows, where everyone has a different opinion. Although we all want justice, we don’t always agree on what justice requires. Not even our legal system has all the answers. A jury reaches a verdict, but the judge throws it out on a technicality. A judge makes a decision, only to have it overturned on appeal. In the end, we are left wondering whether justice has really been served. The Bible can help. It does not give us a complete code with regulations for every situation that might arise in every culture. However, it does provide a set of cases to help us understand the basic principles of divine justice. These legal cases are contained in the Book of the Covenant that God gave to Moses. Each case consists of both a crime and a punishment. The punishments God gave to Israel as a nation under his direct divine rule do not always apply today. Yet they still help us understand how to seek justice in an unjust world looking to see that justice is served.

The Israelites are still camped out at Mt. Sinai and Moses is on the mountain with God receiving the laws of the Book of the Covenant. God gave these laws to his people so they would know how to act and treat each other in the covenant community especially after they arrived in the Promised Land. The Lord wanted to regulate human behavior by protecting the innocent and punishing the guilty. He also wanted the punishment to fit the crime. He defines and sets the standard for what is justice and demands that his people and his laws are just as well. Fairness, justice, reconciliation and peace were all important to the Lord as he was birthing the nation of Israel, wanting them to be different from the pagan nations surrounding them.

Last week, the Lord introduced the Book of the Covenant by regulating how His people were to treat their male and female servants. They were to be treated fairly and with dignity as human beings made in the image of God. This morning, we are going to be introduced to case law involving death, assault and livestock. These laws are specific but not comprehensive and were to guide the judges in making proper rulings and handing down punishments. In some cases, they could determine what the punishment was to be but in others the punishments were non-negotiable. These laws showed God’s desire for His people to be fair and just and to take responsibility for their actions so that in the end peace and harmony could be achieved within the covenant community. Instead of engineering political, social and economic changes in our society, God desires to engineer an inner heart change in each one of His people which will then result in the changes he wants to see in our society. Our society as a whole will never be fair, just and responsible unless each one of us is inwardly changed by God. God can change the world if we allow him to change our hearts, each one of us, according to His purposes. That brings us to our big idea this morning that God desires to change the world by changing His people’s hearts.

Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father, as we open your Word this morning, we ask for you to open our hearts and minds and fill us with your Holy Spirit. We pray that your word would come alive for us and that all the words spoken would be honoring and glorifying to You. Draw us closer to yourself by the power of your word. In Your holy name, we pray, Amen.

Our first Point is, Cases Involving Death, found in Exodus 21:12-17. This is what God’s Word says, “Anyone who strikes a person with a fatal blow is to be put to death. However, if it is not done intentionally, but God lets it happen, they are to flee to a place I will designate. But if anyone schemes and kills someone deliberately, that person is to be taken from my altar and put to death. “Anyone who attacks their father or mother is to be put to death.” “Anyone who kidnaps someone is to be put to death, whether the victim has been sold or is still in the kidnapper’s possession.” “Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.”

This section begins by fleshing out the sixth commandment, “You shall not murder,” by dealing with intentional and unintentional killing. These laws involving death show how important the sanctity of life was to the Lord. The general principle is if someone intentionally strikes and kills another person they are to be put to death. This is called premeditated murder, which is a deliberate scheming to take another’s life. It is pretty clear cut that in this case the punishment is the death penalty. Now we see our first mitigating circumstance. The person did not intentionally kill the other person, but God let it happen. This reminds us that God is sovereign and nothing in this world happens without him knowing it and being in control of it. If the killing was unintentional the offender was to flee to a place that God designated.

The place or places that the offender could flee was the altar or the “cities of refuge.” They were literally fleeing to where God’s presence dwelt and throwing themselves on His mercy. This could be the altars that were set up in the wilderness or the altar in the tabernacle once it was built. Later, once they were in the Promised Land, God would set up six “cities of refuge” where the offender could go. If the offender had not committed premeditated murder but instead it was an accidental death of some kind, they could go to the altar or a city of refuge where they would have asylum until the judges or courts could hear and try their case. The reason this was needed was because of the blood-feuds that were prevalent at that time. The members of a family or tribe had the responsibility to punish anybody who wronged a member of their family or tribe especially in cases of murder. If at trial the offender was found guilty of premeditated murder, they would be taken from God’s altar and be put to death. There was no place you could hide, even at God’s altar, where His punishment would not reach you.

Next, we see the fleshing out of the fifth commandment to “honor your father and your mother.” After the sanctity of life came the sanctity of the family in importance. The family was the backbone of the community and so anything that destroyed the fabric of the community was condemned by God. If anyone attacked their father and or mother, they were sentenced to the death penalty. This included murder and even attempted murder. This showed a contempt and disrespect for those whom God had put in authority over them. This was not honoring their parents and their punishment was death. It is important to see that fathers and mothers were considered equals. The next scenario is someone who kidnaps another person for the purpose of selling them into slavery. Slavery, as we know it, was outlawed by God with this law. If you were caught dealing in slavery at any level, as a middleman or slave owner, you were subject to the death penalty. In other cultures, it would only have been a capital crime if the nobility was kidnapped. To God all human beings were made in His image and as such were sacred, no matter their status. God desires that His people are to be different from the pagan cultures around them.

Next, we revisit the fifth commandment of honoring your father and mother. If anyone was even found guilty of “cursing” their father or mother, they received the death penalty. ​​ This would have been more than just lashing out in anger at their parents one time. This meant acting with total disrespect toward them, over a period of time. The word for “honor” means “heavy” or “weighty.” To honor one’s parents means to give due weight to their position and authority. To ‘curse’ them is to make “light” of them, disparaging them, insulting them, treating them with contempt and refusing to accept their authority. A child who is guilty of attacking or killing their parents physically or even attacking them with their words would be subject to the death penalty.

That brings us to our second point this morning, Cases Involving Assault, found in Exodus 21:18-27. This is what God’s Word says, “If people quarrel and one person hits another with a stone or with their fist and the victim does not die but is confined to bed, the one who struck the blow will not be held liable if the other can get up and walk around outside with a staff; however, the guilty party must pay the injured person for any loss of time and see that the victim is completely healed. “Anyone who beats their male or female slave with a rod must be punished if the slave dies as a direct result, but they are not to be punished if the slave recovers after a day or two, since the slave is their property. “If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise. “An owner who hits a male or female slave in the eye and destroys it must let the slave go free to compensate for the eye. And an owner who knocks out the tooth of a male or female slave must let the slave go free to compensate for the tooth.”

This section on assaults shows four different cases. The first case is a quarrel between two people that starts with words and deteriorates into a physical fight. The fact that a stone or fist was used shows that it was not premeditated because there was no deliberate scheming beforehand. If one of the persons had died the other would have had to go and plead his case at the altar or a city of refuge. But in this case, one of them is hurt only enough to be confined to bed, meaning he has lost time at work and incurred medical bills. Because both parties were in the wrong, the one who struck the blow is not held responsible as long as the other does not die or is permanently disabled. But the one who caused the injury must pay for the others' lost work time and medical bills until they are completely healed. ​​ This again was more than what other cultures would award. The offender would have only had to pay the loss of earnings, not medical expenses.

The second case is about a master who beats a male or female slave with a rod, and they die as a direct result. This would include Hebrew servants and non-Hebrew slaves. Last week, we discussed masters and servants. Hebrews would sell themselves as servants because of poverty, being in debt or having to pay restitution. And in return they would receive room, board and a wage from their master. Also, non-Hebrew slaves were acquired by purchase or captured in war. The master had the right to discipline the servants and slaves working for him and the use of a rod was considered a non-lethal punishment. But the master had to be careful how severe his discipline was because even the life of a servant or slave was sacred to God. The punishment would have had to fit the crime meaning if the servant or slave died and there was intent or malice on the part of the master, they could receive the death penalty.

But if the servant or slave didn’t die, the master would not be punished. He would be given the benefit of the doubt in that he was just disciplining his servant and there was no intent to harm. Since the master had paid for the servant’s services they were considered “his property” or a more accurate translation of the Hebrew is they are “his money.” Because he relies on the servant or slave to work for him, the master would be a fool to cause them to not be able to work. The loss of work time and the medical costs to get them healthy enough to work again would be the punishment levied against the master. For Hebrew and non-Hebrew servants and slaves this law was a major upgrade from other cultures.

The third case is about a fight that causes injury to a third party or an innocent bystander. Using the scenario of the first case, a fight breaks out amongst two parties and an innocent bystander is injured. This describes an extreme case giving precedent for the less serious cases. In this case, the innocent bystander is a pregnant woman and due to getting hit during the fight she gives birth prematurely, but it seems that both mother and child are not seriously injured. The punishment would be a fine based on the demands of the husband of the injured woman and what the court would allow. In Hittite and Assyrian culture, the fines would have been based on social standing but not so in the Israelite community where all peoples were seen as equal in the eyes of God and the law.

Now what if the third party or innocent bystander died or was seriously injured. In the event of accidental death, the offender would go to the altar or a city of refuge and wait for the judge’s decision. But in the event of serious injury the judge could allow restitution which is what is meant by you to take life for life, eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, etc. ​​ This is called the “lex talionis” or the “law of retribution.” But this doesn’t mean that if I caused your eye to be taken out that my eye would be taken out. It would be more accurate to call it the “law of equivalence” meaning that the punishment was to fit the crime. In pagan cultures, the punishment did not always fit the crime especially if you were a person of status or money. Non-Israelite laws allowed fines in cases involving a higher status person permanently injuring a lower status person. Stuart says, “Expressions like “eye for an eye” were understood to mean “a penalty that hurts the person who ruined someone else’s eye as much as he would be hurt if his own eye were actually ruined also.” The precise penalty was left up to the judges by talion law; it might involve anything from banishment to loss of property (and/or property rights) to punitive confinement to special financial penalties to corporal punishment to public humiliation, or to any combination of these.” Again, these laws and standards were fairer and more just than what the pagan nations around them were. By implementing these standards, God was first inwardly changing his people’s hearts to be fair and just in order to change the world (Big Idea).

The fourth case again revisits the humane treatment and provision for manservants and maid servants. Again, it carefully limits and regulates the master’s discipline of his servants. Two extremes, eye and tooth, are used to show that the master needed to have the best welfare of his servants in mind at all times. If the servant, because of the master’s discipline, lost anything as serious as an eye to anything least serious as a tooth, the slave must be freed. Think about this: a servant is freed to take their services elsewhere to a better master. And if this master gets to be known as too strict of a disciplinarian, causing injuries to his servants, he could also lose the services of others who might be looking for work. In both these ways the master is punished by losing whatever monetary benefits he would receive from having servants. The fact that in Israel, servants and slaves had legal and human rights, was unheard of in the cultures surrounding them.

This brings us to our third point, Cases Involving Livestock, found in Exodus 21:28-36. This is what God’s Word says, “If a bull gores a man or woman to death, the bull is to be stoned to death, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the bull will not be held responsible. If, however, the bull has had the habit of goring and the owner has been warned but has not kept it penned up and it kills a man or woman, the bull is to be stoned and its owner also is to be put to death. However, if payment is demanded, the owner may redeem his life by the payment of whatever is demanded. This law also applies if the bull gores a son or daughter. If the bull gores a male or female slave, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of the slave, and the bull is to be stoned to death. “If anyone uncovers a pit or digs one and fails to cover it and an ox or a donkey falls into it, the one who opened the pit must pay the owner for the loss and take the dead animal in exchange. “If anyone’s bull injures someone else’s bull and it dies, the two parties are to sell the live one and divide both the money and the dead animal equally. However, if it was known that the bull had the habit of goring, yet the owner did not keep it penned up, the owner must pay, animal for animal, and take the dead animal in exchange.

In that society most everyone was a farmer and used bulls, oxen and donkeys to plow their fields and carry goods, etc. These animals were expensive and dangerous, and each person had an obligation to not let these beasts get out of hand. The first case is about a bull who gores a man or a woman to death. The stipulation is that there has been no prior goring by the bull; this is the first time it has happened. Again, it doesn’t matter if it killed a male or a female, punishment for the bull and owner was the same no matter which sex was killed. The punishment for the bull was it was stoned to death. Death by stoning was a form of capital punishment for humans and so this showed that God was holding the bull responsible for its actions. In Genesis 9:5 we see these words, “And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being.” God demanded that people and animals be held responsible for their actions. In the surrounding nations, people were held responsible, not animals. God wanted His people and their animals to treat others better than the nations around them did. God’s creation is always held to a higher standard. The owner of the first-time offending bull would not be held legally responsible but there was still a built-in consequence. The meat of the bull could not be eaten because it was now defiled because of its actions. The owner of the bull not only lost the services of the bull, but couldn’t even benefit from its meat or skin, etc. As bulls were expensive this would have been a hardship on the owner.

The next case is about a bull who is in the habit of goring people and the owner knew it and had been warned about it. If this bull kills a man or a woman, it now becomes negligence on behalf of the owner. The owner did not take proper responsibility for his property, and someone was killed. The bull must be stoned, and the owner could incur the death penalty because he knew the bull was dangerous and didn’t do enough to protect others. This would fall under unintentional or negligent homicide and the victim’s family or the court could demand payment from the owner. The owner’s life could be redeemed by paying whatever is demanded. The next case says that the same law applies if a son or daughter was gored to death. Everyone is granted the same status under the law, father, mother, son or daughter. In the surrounding cultures, if someone’s son or daughter was gored to death, the victim’s family could take revenge and demand the life of the son or daughter of the offender. Deuteronomy 24:16 says, “Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.” Again, we see that God’s laws are fairer and more just and merciful than the nations around them.

The next case is about a bull who gores a male or female servant/slave. We know that the servant has been killed because the bull is stoned to death. Now it is not mentioned here, but the bull’s owner would still be held liable as in the previous cases but there is also a third party involved. The master of the servant who was killed must be compensated. The compensation here is an extra thirty shekels of silver and was mandated by God instead of the courts. This was considered the standard price for a slave (blood-price) and interestingly the price that Judas betrayed Jesus for. The fact that the bull was put to death emphasizes the value of the slave’s life. To the Lord there was no difference between a free person and a servant or slave. The next case is about negligence involving a person’s property that causes harm to an animal. If someone dug a pit or uncovered a pit and didn’t cover it back up, and an ox or donkey fell into it, the owner of the land the pit is on is liable. These animals were vital in that society and expensive for the owner to replace. The animal had probably died or had to be put down because of its injuries. The owner of the land the pit is on must pay the owner of the dead animal compensation. The owner of the pit was allowed to take possession of the dead animal but only for its skin. According to Deuteronomy 14:21, they were not to eat anything they found that was already dead but since it wasn’t the offending party the carcass could still be used. Now it’s not mentioned here, but if a person was killed by falling in the pit, the owner would be held liable for an accidental or negligent death and a ruling would be handed down like the deaths by a goring bull previously.

The last set of cases mentioned are about animals involved in killing another animal. If two bulls were fighting and one died the two owners share the losses equally. The live bull would be sold and the owners would divide the money and the carcass of the dead bull equally. There would be no special liability for the owner whose bull killed the other bull. But again, if there was negligence, if it was known the bull had a habit of goring and the owner didn’t keep it penned up, the offending bull’s owner would have to compensate the other owner for the dead bull. The offending owner could then keep the carcass of the dead bull.

Again, this week we may be wondering how we can apply this scripture to our lives today. I believe there are three ways. First, our Lord is a just God and because justice is part of His character, he can never be unjust. Psalms 89:14 says, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.” And Deuteronomy 32:4 says, “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.” Because the Lord wants to change the world by first changing us, he desires us to be just as he is just. He wants us to cultivate His sense of fairness and justice in our lives, not our own. That brings us to our first next step which is to cultivate God’s fairness and justice in my life and not my own.

Next, in every case that we’ve studied, we see that God wants his people to take responsibility for their actions and accept the consequences for their actions. We see this whether we intentionally or unintentionally kill someone. We see this if an argument comes to blows or if an innocent bystander gets injured. We see this if our property causes death or injury. Again, because God wants to change the world by first changing us, he desires that His people accept responsibility and the consequences for their actions. That brings us to our second next step which is to accept the responsibility and the consequences for my actions.

Lastly, in order to cultivate the Lord’s fairness and justice in our lives and in order to accept responsibility and the consequences for our actions we must be changed. These attributes are not normally part of our sinful human nature. We must become more like Jesus, we must be connected to God, and we must allow Him to change our hearts from the inside out. The only way our church, community and the world can be changed is if each one of us individually allows God to change our hearts and we strive each and every day to live these attributes out. That brings us to our last next step which is to allow God to change my heart from the inside out using me to change the world.

Heavenly Father, thank you for this time that we have spent together learning more about you, your Word and worshiping your holy name. As we leave today, may we be committed to worshiping and serving you in our daily lives. Lord, show us ways that we can bless others each day and help us to share your Gospel with those we come in contact with. Fill us with your peace and joy and change our hearts from the inside out using each of us to change the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

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40 Acres and a Mule

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Forty Acres and a Mule

In the final months of the Civil War, Union Army General William Tecumseh Sherman had a problem. He had marched 60,000 Union soldiers 285 miles from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia, striking fear into the Confederacy and landing a decisive blow for the Union. But along the march thousands of newly freed people began following Sherman’s army. Finding housing, employment, food, clothes, and medicine for the refugees soon became impossible. Sherman and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton decided to hold a meeting with a delegation of Savannah’s Black leaders to get their advice on what to do with the 10,000 formerly enslaved people now marching with Sherman’s army. Garrison Frazier, a Baptist minister and the group’s spokesman, made clear the demands of the freedmen and women: “The way we can best take care of ourselves is to have land.” Four days later, Sherman issued Special Field Order No. 15. The order redistributed 400,000 abandoned acres of land, in 40-acre plots, to newly freed Black families. Later Sherman agreed to lend Black settlers army mules to work the land. This gave birth to the famous phrase “40 acres and a mule,” as a small reparation for years held in slavery.

40 Acres and a Mule remains the nation’s most famous attempt to provide some form of reparations for American slavery. Today, it is largely remembered as a broken promise and an abandoned step toward multiracial democracy. Less known is that the federal government actually did issue hundreds, perhaps thousands, of titles to specific plots of land between 4 and 40 acres. Freedmen and women built homes, established local governments, and farmed the land. But their utopia didn’t last long. After President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, his successor, Andrew Johnson, stripped property from formerly enslaved Black residents across the South and returned it to their past enslavers.

There were some who realized that after the horrors of slavery and the Civil War, it was important to care for the needs of the disadvantaged, the oppressed and the most vulnerable. As Christians we are called to look after those who are less fortunate than we are; those who are the most vulnerable in our society. James 1:27 gives us an example of this: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” This means we are to make sacrifices for the sake of those who are more vulnerable, for those who need us the most. This is true today but has also been true since the beginning of the human race. God has always cared for the most vulnerable such as Adam & Eve after they sinned, Hagar, Rahab, and even Cain after he killed Abel. Jesus took care of the woman with the issue of blood and in Luke 14 said to invite the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind to a banquet. Psalm 82:3 says, “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.” God has always been about taking care of the vulnerable people in every age and he desires his followers to do the same.

This morning, we are going to start to look at what is called the Book of the Covenant. These laws, spelled out in the next three chapters, were intended to help the Israelite judges flesh out the principles of the Ten Commandments and to help make rulings and mete out punishment when the law was broken. These laws were not inclusive but were to be the pattern of proper morals and behavior that God wanted his covenant people to live out daily in community together. The Lord begins these laws or ordinances with a topic that hits close to home: slavery or servitude. He wanted to ensure that His people didn’t treat other people the way they were treated in Egypt. When the people cried out in their oppression in Egypt, the Lord heard them and was concerned for them. The Lord took notice of the less fortunate, the disadvantaged, the vulnerable and the oppressed and He showed love, care and concern for them. These ordinances on servitude showed His desire that the Israelites would do the same when they got to the Promised Land. And he wants His people today, us, to follow His example which brings us to our big idea this morning: God desires His people to show love, care and concern for the disadvantaged and vulnerable.

Let’s pray: Almighty God, your Word says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. We want to cultivate a reverent “fear of the Lord” this morning, so God we humbly ask that as we receive Your word, you would illuminate our hearts and minds with Your wisdom. May Your Spirit be present in this moment, leading us in understanding and application. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Our first point this morning is Male Servants found in Exodus 21:1-6. This is what God’s Word says, “These are the laws you are to set before them: “If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything. If he comes alone, he is to go free alone; but if he has a wife when he comes, she is to go with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free. “But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life.”

The Lord has spoken the Ten Commandments directly to His people. They chose Moses as their mediator between themselves and God, and Moses is now with God on Mt. Sinai. God gave Moses instructions about idols and altars and now he is going to set forth laws, the Book of the Covenant, that are to govern the day-to-day behavior in their community. These laws or judgments would guide decisions in settling disputes and become precedents for future rulings. This was unique in that no other nation had ever entered into a covenant with Almighty God. All other nations had made up their own code of laws, but Israel received them directly from the Lord. The Book of the Covenant was revealed to Moses and the Israelites just as the Ten Commandments were. These laws would become legally binding now that they were set authoritatively before the people by their Covenant God.

The Lord begins with laws about the buying of Hebrew servants. Even though some versions say “slaves,” the word the NIV uses, “servants,” is a closer Hebrew translation. The Lord wanted to remind His people where they had just come from and not to subject their fellow Israelites to that kind of treatment. God took steps to make sure that the servant/master relationships didn’t deteriorate into the exploitation of His chosen people in the Israelite community. By mandating proper treatment of a servant by their master, God was basically abolishing slavery in Israel. Also, the Lord will outlaw what we understand as “slavery” later in this chapter in verse 16: “Anyone who kidnaps someone is to be put to death, whether the victim has been sold or is still in the kidnapper’s possession.” The Hebrew “servants” of that time were more like “indentured servants.” They were “workers” or “employees” who would enter into a contract with a “master, boss, or owner” to work under certain terms and conditions.

A “Hebrew” servant would have been considered a lower class than other Israelites because they were either poor, disadvantaged for some reason or vulnerable because of an infirmity or social standing. They would not have had the full rights of regular citizens but would have had more rights than a mere slave, who was foreign-born. In Israel, being in servitude was voluntary, no one could be forced into it. It was common for Israelite males to “sell” themselves into the service of another because of poverty, debt or having to pay restitution. The master would provide guaranteed pay, housing, food, and clothing. They realized the best way to get out of poverty, debt, etc. was to get on the job training and become a productive member of the community. In this way, servitude had a redemptive purpose. A parallel in our society today is more like our sports figures or the military. Stuart says, “Players are not actually the property of the team that “owns” them except as regards the exclusive right to their employment as players of that sport.” “When the law was properly followed, persons who were servants held their positions by reason of a formal contract that related primarily to the job that they had “signed up” to perform, for a period of time, much as one enlists in the military today.”

Also, in Israel, servitude was temporary. The servant’s tenure was six years and in the seventh year, the master had to let him go without payment. This was the Sabbath principle at work. The servant was able to go free to start life over in a better position than when he started serving his master. This kept any Israelite from being in perpetual servitude. Also, the master was not to send the servant away empty-handed but was to give them all they needed to start a new life. Deuteronomy 15:13-14 says, “And when you set him free, you shall not send him away empty-handed. You shall give generously to him from your flock, your threshing floor, and from your wine vat; you shall give to him as the Lord your God has blessed you.” This was the equivalent of the “forty acres and a mule.” God was gracious to His people when they were oppressed, vulnerable and disadvantaged and he wanted His people to be gracious toward their fellow Israelites who found themselves in the same position in the Promised Land.

We notice that these laws were not inclusive but described certain situations that might arise. God weaved the principles found in the Ten Commandments into these laws he was now setting before the people. The first situation showed how much the Lord loved his people and the sanctity of marriage. When the servant was freed in the seventh year, he left with the people he came with. If he came alone, he left alone. If he came with a wife, he left with his wife. Slavery in America broke up families. Husbands and wives and children could be sold to whomever and lots of slave families never saw their father, mother, sons, daughters, brothers or sisters ever again. God’s regulations for masters/servants were designed to keep families together.

The second situation is about a servant who came into servitude unmarried but while in the service of his master, he was given a wife, and she bore him children. According to the law, the man would go free, but his wife and children would have to stay with the master. We might think this is unfair but in reality, it was a safeguard for the woman and her children. First, they were the master’s property. The woman was an indentured servant like the man and would have to work for six years before being freed. Second, we need to remember why the man was indentured in the first place. He was poor or in debt or making restitution. Hopefully, he would be able to take what he learned and earned to make a better life but that didn’t always happen. Sometimes the man would find himself in the same position as before. So, this was a safeguard for the entire family in case his new start didn’t work out. His wife and children would still have their room, board and wage. But if it did work out, then he would be able to buy his family’s freedom, and they would be reunited under their own roof.

We might ask ourselves, how are we to apply these laws and judgments today. Like the Israelites, we are not to use or exploit other human beings. This could take on many forms. For example, we exploit others by enabling them. If those in poverty, in debt or in need to pay restitution want to better themselves, we should be all for it. I think we understand that giving handouts can be more expensive than teaching someone to work. This is why I appreciate New Hope Ministries. They give food out to those who need it, but they also have services, such as job training and financial planning, to help people get back on their feet. These laws encompass a wide range of situations, so any and every way you can think of to use someone or exploit them, is wrong and against God’s commands. We must always be thinking about how we are treating our fellow human beings and not do anything to use or exploit them in any way. That brings us to our first next step which is to Not use or exploit my fellow human beings in any way.

Now the man had another alternative. Maybe he liked working for his master and was treated well. Maybe he realized that he could never make it on his own, especially with a wife and children. The man could “emphatically” declare before God and man his love for his master, wife and children and decide to stay working for his master. This was a legal transaction where the man was stating that he wanted to remain with his master for life. The idea was that he and his wife and children would become permanent members of the master’s family and have the benefits of that relationship. In a culture with so much poverty it had to seem like a better option than most. This arrangement had to go before the “judges” and be made legal so there was no suspicion of coercion. The word for “judge” can be translated “God” meaning that the master and the servant went to the sanctuary to confirm this agreement before the Lord. This kept the servant from making a rash decision and kept the master from being accused of not honoring the six-year contract. This decision was seen in a very physical and visible way. The master would take the servant to the doorpost of his house and pierce his ear with an awl. This very visible mark kept the servant from leaving and entering into a contract with someone else and reminded the master that he had an obligation to employ the servant and his family for life.

But it was also symbolic as the ear is the most important part of a servant’s body. To “listen and hear” was to obey. Ryken says, “By having his ear pierced, therefore, the servant was making a public commitment to do what his master said. The doorpost was also symbolic. Not only did it serve as a place for driving the awl, but it also showed that the servant was now attached to his master’s household. The doorpost was marked with the blood of a covenant between master and slave.” This form of servitude was totally voluntary and raises a few questions: Why would the servant do this? The answer is serving this master was not “slavery” but had become an act of love. What kind of master would provoke this type of love? A good, generous, loving and kind master who took care of his servant’s needs, treated him like a true family member and had his best interest at heart.

This decision teaches us about our special relationship with our heavenly father. In Psalms 40:6-8, David says, “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced; burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. Then I said, “Here I am, I have come— it is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” According to David, pleasing God meant more than simply offering a sacrifice for sin. It also meant doing what God says, obeying him the way a servant obeys the master he loves. To illustrate this, David referred to the ancient custom and compared himself to a servant who had his ear pierced. He had learned to hear and obey, offering himself in loving service to God. I also think it’s important to remember that we serve a Master who made himself our servant. Philippians 2:7 says, “rather, he (Christ) made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” And we see these words in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The words of David are the words of Jesus, and they should be our words too. Let us be people who learn to hear, obey and offer ourselves in loving service to God for life. Psalms 119:32 says, “I run in the path of your commands for you have set my heart free.” The only way we find true freedom is by becoming servants of the one true God. That brings us to our second next step which is to Hear, obey and offer my life in loving service to God for life.

That brings us our second point this morning, Female Servants, found in Exodus 21:7-11. This is what God’s Word says, “If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as male servants do. If she does not please the master who has selected her for himself, he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has broken faith with her. If he selects her for his son, he must grant her the rights of a daughter. If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights. If he does not provide her with these three things, she is to go free, without any payment of money.

The first half of our scripture regulated what happened to male servants, and the second half regulated what happened to female servants. Culturally, we know that women had fewer rights than men. Women were disadvantaged and vulnerable in that society, so God made sure to protect his daughters from abuse and oppression. In this patriarchal society, the father had the right to determine what happened to those in his household. It was normal for the father to “sell” his daughter as a servant because of economic reasons or for marriage. If the family was poor this was one way to improve her situation with the hope of becoming a permanent member of another’s household. If a female was not a member of a household, she could be vulnerable to all kinds of danger (Big Idea). God was not trying to restrict them but protect them. These laws God set before the people were meant to protect His covenant people if they obeyed and punish His covenant people if they didn’t.

Remember these laws were not all inclusive of every situation that could arise. There are three situations being addressed here all with marriage in mind. The first situation is about a female who was sold by her father as a servant for the bride-price with the expectation of being married to her master. In view of being married, the relationship was a permanent one, and so the female servant would not be freed after six years. But God put safeguards in place as well. During the engagement period, if the female servant displeased her master, he could decide to terminate the marriage contract. He may have decided that she was not a good fit for marriage, but it could have been for some other reason as well. If this happened, the master could not simply put her out of his house. She still had rights, and he had to respect them. Interestingly, he was considered the one to have broken the contract, so his options were limited. God’s law provided the female servant specific protections in this situation. One, he must let her be redeemed, meaning the female servant’s family could buy her back with the bride-price. Two, in no way, could the master sell her to a foreigner, she must stay within the covenant community.

The next situation is about a female servant who the father selects to be married to his son. A female servant could gain her freedom by being married to the master’s son, giving her full rights as a daughter in the master’s family. The third situation is about a master who takes another wife. There were many reasons why this would take place, but the main idea was that large families were thought to be a blessing from God so this was a way to ensure that in the Jewish community. All of the master’s wives would be cared for, protected and treated as full members of the family. The master could not deprive any of his wives of three basic necessities: food, clothing and marital rights. In fact, he had to provide these in luxurious amounts, not just at a minimal level. Marital rights would have included sexual intimacy and the bearing of children. The covenant law tolerated second wives as long as they were treated equally in the family. One wife could not be treated as a second-class wife. If the master did not treat them all equally, the one treated unfairly could be freed from her master. She would be freed because the man had reneged on the terms of the marriage contract. She could leave and would not have to pay back the bride-price. One last thing, according to Deuteronomy 15:12, if the female servant was bought strictly to work for her master, she was afforded the same conditions as a male servant, allowed to be freed after six years. Again, God had the women’s best interest at heart. (Big Idea)

How can we apply this section to us today? It really speaks to us men, especially husbands and fathers. Fathers, we have an obligation to our families. To care for, provide for and protect them the best we can. Husbands, we have an obligation to take care of our wives on every level, physically, emotionally and spiritually. We have an obligation before God to provide for her. If we fail to provide, protect or give the proper physical expression of love to our wives, we violate the law of God. That brings us to our third next step this morning which is to Take care of my wife and family by providing, protecting and loving them in all the ways God directs.

The story is told of a visit Abraham Lincoln once made to a slave auction, where he was appalled to see the buying and selling of human beings: His heart was especially drawn to a young woman on the block whose story seemed to be told in her eyes. She looked with hatred and contempt on everyone around her. She had been used and abused all her life, and this time was but one more cruel humiliation. The bidding began, and Lincoln offered a bid. As other amounts were bid, he counter-bid with larger amounts until he won. When he paid the auctioneer the money and took title to the young woman, she stared at him with vicious contempt. She asked him what he was going to do next with her, and he said, “I’m going to set you free.” “Free?” she asked. “Free for what?” “Just free,” Lincoln answered. “Completely free.” “Free to do whatever I want to do?” “Yes,” he said. “Free to do whatever you want to do.” “Free to say whatever I want to say?” “Yes, free to say whatever you want to say.” “Free to go wherever I want to go?” she added with skepticism. Lincoln answered, “You are free to go anywhere you want to go.” “Then I’m going with you!” she said with a smile. Whether this story is fact or fiction, it shows us what it means to follow Jesus Christ. Anyone who trusts in Christ for salvation has been delivered from sin and death. Now we are free. Free for what? Free to say, “Jesus, I’m going with you!” Let us be people who follow Jesus and his teachings especially in how we love, care and are concerned for the disadvantaged and vulnerable around us.

As the ushers prepare to collect the tithes and offerings and Gene & Roxey come to lead us in a final hymn, let’s pray: Lord God, give us your eyes to see and your heart of love, care and concern for the disadvantaged and vulnerable in the communities around us. We thank you for your Word which tells us what you desire and require of us. Lord, help us to not use or exploit others in any way, help us to hear, obey and offer our lives in loving service to you for life and help us men to take care of our wives and families by providing, protecting and loving them in all the ways you direct. Thank you for this time together in your house. Let everything, we say, do and think this week, bring your honor, glory and praise. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Opening: “40 Acres and a Mule” Adam Sanchez; rethinkingschools.org

“40 Acres and a Lie” motherjones.com

Conclusion: Ryken Commentary on Exodus

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Law & Order

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Law & Order

One time many years ago, the king of Hungary found himself depressed and unhappy. He sent for his brother, a good-natured but rather indifferent prince. The king said to him, "I am a great sinner; I fear to meet God." But the prince only laughed at him. This didn’t help the king’s disposition any. Though he was a believer, the king had gotten a glimpse of his guilt for the way he’d been living lately, and he seriously wanted help. In those days it was customary for the executioner to sound a trumpet before a man’s door at any hour, signaling that he was to be led to his death. The king sent the executioner in the dead of night to sound the fateful blast at his brother’s door. The prince realized with horror what was happening. Quickly dressing, he stepped to the door and was seized by the executioner and dragged pale and trembling into the king’s presence. In an agony of terror, he fell on his knees in front of his brother and begged to know how he had offended him. "My brother," answered the king, "if the sight of a human executioner is so terrible to you, shall not I, having grievously offended God, fear to be brought before the judgment seat of Christ?"

In our scripture this morning, this is right where the Israelite people are. In Exodus 19:5, the Lord says to the Israelites, “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all the nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” The Israelites all responded together: “We will do everything the Lord has said.” Then in chapter 20, the Lord came down to Mt. Sinai and gave them the Ten Commandments which were his law that the people needed to obey to keep the covenant and to be in a right relationship with Him. As they heard the Law, it caused them to be afraid, tremble and distance themselves from the Lord. The Israelites had made a promise to obey the Lord’s commands, but they now realized that they could never keep His law and would be subject to judgment. The King of Hungary and the Israelites realized they were sinners, they felt the weight of their sin and knew they were subject to judgment. As we will see this week, the people were not to be afraid but to “fear the Lord.” The proper response to God’s law is reverence and worship. And God is gracious with His people because he knows they will not be able to keep His law perfectly. And so, he will provide a way for them to be reconciled to him when they sin. He had redeemed them from slavery in Egypt, set them apart as his treasured possession and would now show them how they could draw close to Him in a faithful relationship with Himself.

The same is true for us today. We can’t keep the law perfectly either and we are subject to judgment. But Jesus, our perfect mediator, paid the penalty for our sin, and if we have accepted God’s free gift of salvation, we don’t need to fear His judgment. But do we truly understand the weight of our sin as the Israelites and the King of Hungary did? Do we tremble with a “fear of the Lord” because we have sinned against an Almighty and Holy God? The realization of the weight of our sin should not cause us to shrink farther and farther away from the Lord, as it did the Israelites, it should cause us to draw closer to Him and his son, Jesus, because Jesus is the only way that we can be reconciled to God. That brings us to our big idea this morning that God desires His people to draw close to Him. We will look at four ways we can draw close to the Lord: obedience, worshiping God alone, confessing our sins before the Lord and accepting Jesus as our perfect mediator. ​​ 

Let’s pray: Heaven Father, give us eyes to see and ears to hear your Word and your Holy Spirit this morning. May we come humbly, seeking your wisdom and instruction for our daily lives. May we be open to your Spirit’s prompting and conviction this week as we strive to become more like your son, Jesus. In His precious and holy name, Amen.

Our first point is Test found in Exodus 20:18-21. This is what God’s Word says, “When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

I want to set the scene again from several weeks ago. Moses has prepared the people to meet with their God by consecrating them and washing their clothes. Then as the Lord came down to meet with them there was thunder and lightning with a thick cloud covering the mountain. There was also a loud trumpet blast. It was a raging storm of the presence of the Lord in their midst. Moses led the people to the foot of the mountain to meet the Lord and the mountain smoked as He descended it in fire. The mountain trembled violently, and the trumpet grew louder and louder. And then they heard the voice of God. They were terrified and trembled just as the mountain trembled. I mentioned back then that all of their senses were assaulted with what was happening around them. As we start to study our scripture this morning, we notice that all of their senses are still being assaulted. They still see the thunder and lightning; they still hear the trumpet and see the mountain covered in smoke and they are still trembling. The Hebrew word used here for “lightning” is not the same as the one used in Exodus 19:16 describing the storm when they met God at the foot of the mountain. The only other time this word is used by Moses in the Bible is in Genesis 15:17 when God made his covenant with Abraham. In Genesis it referred to the “torch” which passed through the animal carcasses that Abraham had cut in half. The “torch” in Genesis and the “lightning” here represented God’s physical presence with his people as he made His covenant with them.

We notice that something has changed with the proximity of the people from God. They started out at the foot of the mountain and now they are at a distance from it. It is possible that as each commandment blasted forth with its accompanying display of awesome splendor, the people probably backed up a little further until they were standing a good distance from the base of the mountain. The haughty, arrogant attitude that they displayed before God gave them the law was quickly replaced with terror, fear, and dread as they began to understand the holiness and awesomeness of God and to realize the weight of their sin. Interestingly, God kept telling Moses to warn the people not to come up the mountain but once He started speaking, they quickly retreated back the way they came. Clarke says, “… probably at the end of each command, there was a peal of thunder, a blast of the trumpet, and a gleam of lightning, to impress their hearts the more deeply with a due sense of the Divine Majesty, of the holiness of the law, which was now delivered, and of the fearful consequences of disobedience.” The Israelites were frightened by the total demand of God’s law and by the threat of His judgment. God was impressing His law and order on His chosen people. Law and order are defined as the safe, civil, and orderly functioning of society, viewed especially as a result of the enactment and strict enforcement of laws. God had given the law to the people so they would know how he wanted them to be connected to Him and to each other. These connections would allow them to function properly in community together and to bless the nations around them. He expected them to obey His Law and He would bring “order” as He instructs them in altars and sacrifice later in our scripture. God is a God of order, and we will see this today and in the following weeks as he also instructs them in enforcing His law.

 

There were three purposes for God giving them His law. One, the law revealed their sin proving that they couldn’t live up to God’s perfect standard. Two, the law was to keep them from sinning by threatening them with punishment. And three, the law was given so they would know what the Lord expected of them so they could obey it. The Israelites realized that because of God’s holiness and the weight of their sin they needed a mediator between themselves and the Lord. They asked Moses to speak to them himself instead of having God speak to them. This one encounter was too much for them as they realized they couldn’t keep his law and as such couldn’t stand in His presence, or they would die. The other thing they said to Moses was that if he spoke to them, they would listen. The word “to listen” means to obey. They were now accepting Moses as God’s mediator, promising to obey Moses and the Lord. Moses encourages them to not be afraid. They did not need to tremble in fear; instead they needed a “fear of the Lord,” a healthy, reverent awe and respect for Yahweh, the one true and living God. It was not God’s intention to kill them but to test them so that the “fear of God” would be with them to keep them from sinning. The word for “test” can be translated as “experience.” The reason the Lord came with thunder, lightning, a loud trumpet and smoke was because he wanted this experience to literally put the “fear of God” in them in order for them to understand the weight of their sin which was to keep them from sinning. As God’s mediator to His people, one of Moses’ roles was to encourage the people to obey the Lord’s commands. By being obedient to the Lord’s commands, they would be able to draw close to God instead of standing off at a distance (Big Idea) The same is true for us today. An understanding of the holiness and awesomeness of God and the weight of our sin should cause us to obey the Lord’s commands and keep us from punishment. That brings us to our first next step on the back of your communication card which is to Draw close to the Lord by being obedient to His laws.

 

Another one of Moses’ roles, as mediator, was to also approach God for them and we see this is what Moses did next. As the people remained at a distance from God, Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. He did this on behalf of God’s people so they would know how God wanted them to live their lives in obedience to Him, which will be spelled out more specifically starting in the next chapter. Now Moses was not the perfect mediator because he was a sinful human being just as they were. But he was God’s chosen mediator who was the forerunner of the perfect mediator, Jesus Christ. We will come back to Jesus as our perfect mediator at the end of the message.

 

That brings us to our second point, True Worship, found in Exodus 20:22-26. This is what God’s Word says, “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites this: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven: Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold. “‘Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you. If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool on it. And do not go up to my altar on steps, or your private parts may be exposed.’

 

Moses is now in the presence of the Lord and He tells Moses how the people were to draw close to Him in true worship. Even though they do not want to draw close to God “physically,” they could still draw close to the Lord “spiritually.” True worship involves a combination of things they must do and things that must not be done. They were not to make any gods of silver and gold to be worshiped alongside God. The Lord reiterated a combination of the first two commandments reminding them that they have seen for themselves that he has spoken to them from heaven. This “seeing” God “speak” reinforces that they are not to make any gods to represent Him because they don’t know what he looks like. He had veiled Himself in smoke, so that they could not see His form. In fact, they couldn’t have looked upon Him and lived anyway. Pagan worshipers would make gods or idols so that the worshiper had easy access to the god anytime they wanted. This was idolatry and not the way God was to be worshiped. Mentioning the first two commandments, in this way, probably means that He was reminding them of all ten, but these two were of first importance. By mentioning not to make gods of silver and gold, the Lord was ruling out the making of gods with any substance. True worship starts with worshiping God and God alone and not making gods to represent Him.

 

This instruction was a warning to the Israelites to remember what they have just seen and heard. They were to remember to have a reverent “fear of the Lord” in order to keep them from sinning, especially the sin of making an idol to represent God and worshiping other gods beside Him. Why did he have to remind them of these commands? Because God knew His people. He knew what was going to take place later when they made and worshiped the golden calf. If they would heed God’s warning, they would draw closer to the Lord in obedience and worship. Have you ever been warned by the Holy Spirit to not sin? Or felt guilty after you have sinned? This is called being “convicted.” When you are drawing close to the Lord in obedience and worship the Holy Spirit is able to function as He should in your life. When we are drawing close to the Lord, the Holy Spirit will convict us to keep us from sin or convict us of our sin which leads us to confession and being put back into a right relationship with our Heavenly Father. Let us be people who draw close to the Lord daily and heed the warnings of the Holy Spirit in our lives. That brings us to our second next step which is Heed the warnings of the Holy Spirit, first, to keep me from sin and, second, to convict me of my sin.

 

After warning the people to remember to keep His commandments, the Lord gave Moses instructions about altars which would lead them into true worship of Himself. The Lord graciously instructed them in how they could be reconciled to Him after sinning against Him. Just think about how loving, gracious and merciful our God is. He wasn’t going to leave them in their sin, knowing that their sin separated them from Himself. Instead, knowing they couldn’t live up to His perfect standard, he instructed them on how they could draw close to Him again. (Big Idea) The way they were to do this was to make sacrifices to Him on an altar. Their altars were to be made of earth or stone and the stones could only be in their natural state; meaning they were to be made out of what God had created, not man. They were not allowed to use dressed stones meaning stones that had been shaped by tools. Dressed stones were used by pagan worshipers that had divine symbols or incantations chiseled in them. Also, they made ornate altars with dressed stones that became the object of worship as well as their gods. If the Israelites made their altars with dressed stones the altar would be defiled. This meant that the altar would be polluted and unfit for sacrifice to the Lord. The Israelites were to be different. Only God was to be worshiped, not any other gods and not the altars that were built to make sacrifices to Him.

 

The most important thing about the altar was to be what happened on it – the sacrifices offered for their sins. God instructed them in two kinds of sacrifices they were to make to Him and the animals that were to be used to make those sacrifices. They were to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord. And they were to sacrifice their unblemished, perfect sheep, goats and cattle to the Lord. The burnt offering was given for the atonement of their sins. This offering was to be completely “burnt” to ash on the altar with its smoke rising to heaven. The fellowship offering was given to deal with their sin, but it also symbolized fellowship with God and being reconciled to Him. It is also called the peace offering because the Hebrew word comes from the word for “shalom” meaning peace. It was eaten in the presence of the Lord showing that the worshiper was put back into a right relationship with God, atonement having been made for their sin. By offering sacrifices on the altar, the worshiper confessed that they had sinned against God. In this way, the worshiper was able to draw close to the Lord in obedience and worship. Confession of sin is so important. When we sin and the Holy Spirit convicts us of that sin, we need to confess it. Today, we don’t sacrifice animals on an altar, but we are to come before the Lord confessing our sin and he forgives us based on what Jesus did for us on the cross. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” That is a promise that I have claimed in my own life and is a promise I hope you have claimed as well. That brings us to our third next step which is to Confess my sins allowing me to draw close to the Lord.

 

The Lord’s instructions for the altar and sacrifices were made in this moment because they were going to need to make atonement for their sins now that the law had been given. It was at these altars of earth and natural stone, that God would cause his name to be honored and where he would draw close to His chosen people and bless them. God's presence and blessings were not confined to a specific location or place of worship. Instead, God promises to be present and to bless his people wherever they seek to honor him and demonstrate their faith and devotion. Again, how gracious was this. The people, because of God’s holiness and the weight of their sin, had distanced themselves from the Lord, but the He would draw close to them, as they worshiped and sacrificed to Him in obedience.

 

The last verse may seem strange to us but again it speaks to the Israelites not worshiping in the same ways as the pagan peoples around them. First, the altar wasn’t to have steps. The pagan peoples would build altars with steps to show off or with the idea of getting closer to heaven and their gods. Think about the Tower of Babel. They tried to build a tower that would reach heaven so they could be with their god. We are not to reach up and put ourselves on the same plane as God. God is the one who comes down to us in his love, grace and mercy. Second, Canaanite worship was obscene and indecent. They would worship their gods in nakedness and with sexual immorality, but God demanded purity and decency in true worship of Himself. Later on, the Israelite priests were to wear linen undergarments to keep from being exposed in the presence of God.

 

“In his book “Written In Blood”, Robert Coleman tells the story of a little boy whose sister needed a blood transfusion. The doctor explained that she had the same disease the boy had recovered from two years earlier. Her only chance for recovery was a transfusion from someone who had previously conquered the disease. Since the two children had the same rare blood type, the boy was the ideal donor. "Would you give your blood to Mary?" the doctor asked. Johnny hesitated. His lower lip started to tremble. Then he smiled and said, "Sure, for my sister." Soon the two children were wheeled into the hospital room--Mary, pale and thin; Johnny, robust and healthy. Neither spoke, but when their eyes met,

Johnny grinned. As the nurse inserted the needle into his arm, Johnny's smile faded. He watched the blood flow through the tube. With the ordeal almost over, his voice, slightly shaky, broke the silence. "Doctor, when do I die?' Only then did the doctor realize why Johnny had hesitated, why his lip had trembled when he'd agreed to donate his blood. He thought giving his blood to his sister meant giving up his life. In that brief moment, he'd made his great decision. Johnny, fortunately, didn't have to die to save his sister. Each of us, however, has a condition more serious than Mary's, and it required Jesus to give not just His blood but His life.”

We are unable to enter into a relationship with God by ourselves because we have been cut off, alienated from God because of our sin, and in need of reconciliation. We are in need of a mediator. Moses was the mediator chosen by God to be the go-between for Him and His people. But Jesus is our perfect mediator because he was fully God and fully man and He did something that Moses couldn’t do which was live in perfect obedience to the law. The other thing Moses and the animal sacrifices couldn’t do was to make atonement for their sin once and for all. Jesus was the only perfect lamb of God who could make atonement for our sin. Jesus, as our perfect mediator, did three things for those who believe in Him. One, he received our death sentence. God’s standard is perfection, and His character is holy and according to His standard of justice, the soul that sins must die. Sin carries the sentence of spiritual death, eternal separation from God. Therefore, the only way that a sinful person can ever come to God is to have the penalty of his sin paid. The innocent one, Jesus, took the place of the guilty, each one of us, and the sentence of death was carried out.

 

Two, Jesus removed our sin by the shedding of His blood. Forgiveness demands blood. The great amount of blood that we see throughout Scripture is a reminder of the awful penalty of sin—which is death. The purpose of the blood was to bring cleansing from our sin. The only way we can enter into God’s presence is through the atoning death of Jesus Christ, made effective for us when we trust Him as Lord and Savior. Three, Jesus represents the sinner. As our faithful High Priest, He is in heaven now appearing in the presence of God on our behalf. When Jesus appears in the presence of God for us, He presents us in Himself, as He is. Now when we enter into the presence of God, the Father sees Jesus instead of us. He sees Christ’s righteousness, not our unrighteousness, He sees Christ’s sacrifice, not our sin and He sees Christ’s payment for our sin, not the penalty for our sin. That brings us to our last next step this morning which is to Accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, the perfect mediator between God and myself. Again, if you take that step this morning, please mark it on the back of your communication card so I can be in touch with you.

 

As the ushers prepare to collect the tithes and offerings and Gene and Roxey come to lead us in a final hymn, let’s pray: God, thank you for Your Word and Your son, Jesus. I thank you for making a way for us to be able to draw close to you and to be reconciled to you when we sin. Help us to be obedient to your Word. Help us to heed the warnings of your Spirit to keep us from sin and to convict us of our sin and lead us to confession of our sins before you. And Lord if there are those here who don’t know you as their Lord and Savior may they take that step of faith in accepting Jesus Christ as their perfect mediator between themselves and You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

OPENING: Ajai Prakash (Sermon Central)

CLOSING: “The Mediator (www.brandonware.org)

 

 

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Connected (to Others)

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Connected (to Others)

Several years ago, on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post, there was a painting by Norman Rockwell showing a woman buying her Thanksgiving turkey. The turkey is lying on the scales and the butcher and the customer, a lovely lady of about sixty, are both looking up at the scale watching the weighing-in. Each of them has a pleasant look on their faces as if each knows a secret joke. There’s nothing unusual about a butcher and a customer watching as a turkey is being weighed, but the expression on their faces indicates that something unusual is going on. ​​ Norman Rockwell lets us in on the joke by showing us their hands. The butcher is pushing down on the scales with his finger while the woman is pushing up on them with a dainty forefinger. Neither is aware of what the other is doing.

Cecil Myers, who reminds us of that painting, says, “Both the butcher and the lovely lady would resent being called thieves. ​​ The lovely lady would never rob a bank or steal a car. ​​ The butcher would be indignant if anyone accused him of stealing; and if a customer gave him a bad check, he would call the police, but neither saw anything wrong with a little deception that would make a few cents for one or save a few cents for the other.” Rockwell gives us a picture of how we all at times seek to live, trying to manipulate life for our advantage. As sinful, human beings, each of us live life contrary to God’s laws wanting life to come out our way. And that’s what the Ten Commandments are all about – they are to remind us that there are eternal laws in the universe by which we must live if life is going to come out God’s way. And God’s way is the way of holiness and obedience.

Last week we began our look at the Ten Words that God spoke to the Israelites. We learned that the first five words focused on us being better connected to God. We are to have no other gods before Him, we are to not make any idols to worship that represent God, we are not to take God’s name in vain, we are to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy and we are to honor our father and mother. These commands had to come first because if we don’t love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, then there is no way we can love our neighbor as ourselves. We must first be connected to God before we can be connected to each other.

The next five Words from the Lord, that we will look at this morning, are shorter and more general than the first five. They prohibit the worst of the actions, speech and thoughts that God’s people would commit but in doing so they also prohibit everything in between as well. There is no motivation mentioned for keeping these commands and no punishment mentioned, in this text, for not keeping them. The punishment for violating these commands will come later in what is called the Book of the Covenant starting in chapter 21. The Ten Words were God’s instructions to His chosen people, that they were to follow to live properly connected to God and to each other. Words six through ten were intended for legal use, but they are addressed to the believer not the lawyer. These last five words will start out with the greatest sin that can be committed against another person and end with the sin that encapsulates the other nine. These “words” are foundational for human society to flourish in community together. And God spoke them directly to His chosen people to prick their consciences so that they would obey the Lord their God.

If God’s people were going to live in covenant with him, they needed to not only worship him and him alone, they needed to live moral lives in harmonious relationship with those in community with them. They needed to approach the Lord in reverence, awe and holiness, worshiping Him alone, if they were going to be properly connected to Him. And they needed to approach their neighbors with integrity, honesty and morality if they were going to be properly connected to them. By being connected to God and to each other in total obedience to His Ten Words they could truly be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. They would be distinguished from the nations around them and be able to bring honor and glory to God’s name. As we come this morning to meet the God who gave the Ten Commandments, the Lord will reveal His nature and character to us and the reality of life as he has created it. We must approach Him in reverence, awe and holiness, worshiping Him alone. And we must live lives of integrity, honesty and morality in our relationships with each other. We are to live holy and moral lives because our God is perfectly holy and perfectly moral. The One who created us and saved us from our sin and eternal separation from himself demands that from us. The way that we show that we love the Lord is by obeying His commandments. Our obedience to his holy character and to His moral law will help us to be better connected to God and to each other. Last week we talked about how God desires to form His holy character in His people and this week our big idea is that God desires to form His moral character in His people.

Let’s pray: Lord God, pour out your Holy Spirit on us this morning and open our hearts and minds to what you want us to learn and share with others. May your Word be a light unto our paths, and it may lead us, guide us, correct us, rebuke us and train us in righteousness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Our first point this morning is Connected by Actions found in Exodus 20:13-15. This is what God’s Word says, “You shall not murder. “You shall not commit adultery. “You shall not steal.

The Ten Words spoken by God to the Israelites were what they were to obey in order to be the kind of people he wanted them to be in the Promised Land. By keeping His commands amongst the godless and pagan people there, they would be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, and this would translate into those nations coming to know the one True and Living God. Words six through eight have to do with their actions toward one another living as members of the same covenant community.

Last week I mentioned that the word “commandments” is not found in Hebrew. In Hebrew they are called the “Ten Words.” So I will use “words” and “commands” this morning as we talk about these prohibitions that God gave to His people. The sixth word in the Hebrew is stated simply as “no killing.” There are eight Hebrew words for “kill” and the word used here means an “unlawful violent killing of a personal enemy.” The NIV translates it as “murder.” This word speaks to the “sanctity of life.” Life is a gift from God, and it is only God’s to give and God’s to take away. At creation we were made in the image of God and it is never right for someone, acting on their own, to decide to take the life of someone created by God. The Lord is sovereign over every life’s beginning and ending. The sixth word refers to any type of killing that God disallows which you can imagine would have taken wise discernment and interpretation on the part of the Israelite leaders.  ​​​​ 

This commandment included the prohibition against accidental deaths, voluntary and involuntary manslaughter, and premeditated acts of murder. It also included negligent homicide resulting from recklessness and carelessness. It also prohibited euthanasia, mercy killings, assisted and unassisted suicide and abortion. Psalms 139:13-16a says, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful; I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body.” As Christians we realize that God is the God of life, and we are instructed to not take the life of another made in the image of God. This command would also find guilty those who stood by and did nothing or were silent as someone was killed.

Now there were “killings” that were not prohibited by the sixth word. They included killing during wartime, killing in self-defense and killing by capital punishment or the death penalty. God addresses the death penalty in Genesis 9:6. “Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.” Paul speaks about this in Romans 13:3-4, “For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.” What makes some types of killing lawful? When the goal of “killing” is not the destruction of life but it’s preservation, then it is lawful. John Calvin says, “The purpose of this commandment is: the Lord has bound mankind together by a certain unity; hence each man ought to concern himself with the safety of all.” From the time of our conception until the time that we pass from this earth, we have a duty to preserve both our own lives and the lives of our neighbors, who have been made in God’s image.

Now before we move on, we must talk about how this command was changed when Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5:21-22, Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.” Not only our actions, but our thoughts can make us guilty of violating the sixth word. When we envy, hate, are angry, have a desire for revenge, put people down, make racist or sexist remarks, and smear people’s reputations, it shows we have murder in our hearts. The Heidelberg Catechism puts it like this: “I am not to dishonor, hate, injure, or kill my neighbor by thoughts, words, or gestures, and much less by deeds” (Big Idea)

The seventh word is “You shall not commit adultery.” Just like the prohibition against murder, the prohibition against adultery comes from creation. Genesis 2:23-24 says, “The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.” The marriage covenant was between one man and one woman, and they were to be one flesh. Adultery breaks that relationship and causes problems within the family. Also, the prohibition against adultery, like murder, was known long before the law was given. We see in Genesis 39, in the story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife, that adultery was wrong and against God’s law. In verse nine, Joseph says, “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God.” After protecting the sanctity of life, it is of next importance to protect the sanctity of marriage. If we are willing to be unfaithful to our spouses, then we will inevitably be unfaithful in other human relationships and in our relationship with God.

The fifth word, to honor your father and mother, when obeyed, guarded the family from internal conflict. This seventh word, when obeyed, guarded the family from external conflict. The Lord required that the relationship between a husband and wife be marked by faithfulness and love. This relationship is compared to the relationship between God and his covenant people which was also to be marked by faithfulness and love. The marriage covenant between husband and wife was to be as sacred as the covenant between the Lord and his people. Wilson states, “Adultery is treason against the family, and God hates it.”

Sexual sin involving persons where at least one was married was considered heinous in the ancient world and was actually called “the great sin.” Sexual sin hurts all involved; even those on the periphery. The Lord wanted his people to be different from those they would be coming in contact with within the Promised Land and this meant maintaining sexual purity. In Israel’s patriarchal society, this “word” would have been speaking to the unmarried or married man, but it would have also included the unmarried or married woman. The sixth and seventh commands demand us to surrender our needs, wants and desires to the Lord. The desire for revenge and sex can cause us to give in to our human nature but God calls us to a different standard. We think we can supply our own needs, wants and desires but actually God is the only one who can do it for us perfectly and in the proper moral way. Again, this word expresses God's character and nature as he is a God of faithfulness, purity and joy. Just like life is a gift from God, so is sex. God gave this command to preserve and protect sex within the marriage covenant.

The Lord chose adultery to condemn any sexual activity outside an exclusive, committed heterosexual marriage. Ross says, “Sexual behavior that undermines and denies covenant faithfulness flies squarely in the face of what sexual behavior was designed to do.” This command, although not explicitly mentioned, would have prohibited all sex outside of marriage, whether before, during, after, or instead of a person’s actual legal marriage. This “word” was so serious that violation of it was considered a capital crime and the punishment was severe. Leviticus 20:10 says “If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.” Both parties were guilty, and both were punished by death.

The Ten Commandments explicitly prohibited the most extreme form of every kind of sin and implicitly ruled out the lesser sins that were the root cause. So, anything that led to adultery was considered sin as well. This would include a married person flirting with someone not their spouse or someone seeking emotional support from the opposite sex not their spouse. Any sexual sin that violated the marriage covenant was covered by this word. Again, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus turned it up a notch, showing that the problem is with our sinful hearts and thoughts. In Matthew 5:27-28, Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” The Westminster Shorter Catechism states, “The Seventh Commandment requires the preservation of our own and our neighbor’s chastity, in heart, speech, and behavior.” Lust is dangerous and deadly, which is why the medieval church called it one of the seven deadly sins.

The eighth word is “You shall not steal.” The Hebrew word for “to steal” literally means to carry away by stealth. The prohibition was also against taking something by force or any other unlawful way. Stealing is the taking of something that belongs to our neighbor without authorization or permission. After protecting the sanctity of life and marriage it is of next importance to protect the sanctity of possessions. God has given us the right to own property and possessions, and no other person has the right to take what is ours in secret or by force. We see some truths in this command. Everything belongs to God and he has entrusted some things to each of us and we need to respect his distribution of all that belongs to him. When we steal from our neighbor, we steal what God has personally provided for someone else and so are actually stealing from God. This command was to keep unity within the covenant community. This again speaks to reigning in our needs, wants and desires. We must trust that God is going to provide all that we need when we need it and so we don’t need to steal from others. Even those who don’t read the Bible or believe in God or Jesus know that stealing is wrong just as murder is wrong.

Again, this word is stated in general terms, implying that there are many ways to violate it. It would include injury to another’s property, fraud, embezzlement, and extortion. It would also include all kinds of theft: burglary, robbery, larceny, hijacking, shoplifting, and kidnapping. It would also speak of subtler ways of stealing such as taking office supplies from our work or other businesses. This command also requires us to use what God has given to us in ways that are pleasing to Him. God allows us to work and make a wage and we can steal such things as time from our employers, when we falsify time cards, or give less than our best work or call off sick when we just want a day off. It speaks to our time and talents as well because even our abilities and opportunities come from God and are to be used for his glory. Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” When we waste our time, fail to use our talents for the Lord, or don’t develop the gifts he’s given to us to the best of our ability, we are stealing from God.

But it’s not just about stealing, it is about stewardship. Stewardship is the careful and responsible management of what God has entrusted to our care. Bridges has observed that there are three basic attitudes we can take toward possessions. The first says, “What’s yours is mine; I’ll take it.” This is the attitude of the thief. The second says, “What’s mine is mine; I’ll keep it.” Since we are selfish by nature, this is the attitude that most people have most of the time. The third attitude—the godly attitude—says, “What’s mine is God’s; I’ll share it.” As Christians we are called to live generously and stewardship means that we meet the needs of our family, our church, the work of the Gospel and of those in need. Malachi 3:8-10 speaks about not withholding our tithes and offering. Deuteronomy 15:10 speaks to helping others in need: “Give generously … and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.” Jesus even speaks about not stealing in Matthew 19:18 and Ephesians 4:28 gives us the antidote for stealing: “Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.”

There are actions that we can take against our neighbors that are harmful and don’t create the kind of connection with them that God wants us to have. When we commit them, we are hurting the unity and community that God wants us to have in order to bring the lost to Him. When we act in these ways, we show the Lord that we don’t care about the sanctity of the life he has given to us and others, that we don’t care about the sanctity of marriage that he instituted at creation, and that we don’t care about the sanctity of the things he has graciously and generously provided to each one of us. Let us be people, who by our actions, show that the Lord is forming His moral character in us. (Big Idea) That brings us to our first next step on the back of your communication card which is Show, by my actions, that God’s moral character is being formed in me.

Our second point is, Connected by Speech & Thought, found in Exodus 20:16-17. This is what God’s Word says, “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

The ninth word is “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” This word was mainly talking about giving evidence in a court of law, but it also includes all kinds of truthfulness. A disregard for the truth leads to a breakdown in society just as murder, adultery and stealing do. This again tells us about the character and nature of God. He is absolute truth and dependability, and he demands the same from His covenant. 1 Samuel 15:29a says “He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie.” The Lord is true in all he is, says, and does.

It was important in those days to give true evidence in a court of law because all they had was the testimony of the witnesses to be able to decide a case. Due process would be violated if the evidence given was false or distorted. Giving testimony against a neighbor had to be completely truthful. The court system of the nation depended on the honesty of its covenant people. In a nomadic desert society where nearly all crimes were capital crimes, a “false witness” was the equivalent of murder. In the ancient world, those charged with a crime were considered guilty until proven innocent. But Israel was to be different. There had to be two witnesses to a capital crime and the witnesses were also to be the executioners. Deuteronomy 17:6-7 says, “On the testimony of two or three witnesses a person is to be put to death, but no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness. The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting that person to death, and then the hands of all the people. You must purge the evil from among you.” The reason for this was if the witnesses were later found to have given false testimony, they would incur the same punishment they had meted out. Think about this: if you gave testimony as a witness to a murder, you would be the one to execute the judgment on that person. If it was later found out that you lied, you would be judged in the same manner. Gives us a new outlook on “casting the first stone” doesn’t it?

With this command, God was forbidding every form of falsehood in their speech. A blatant violation of this command would be telling a lie that harms someone else in some way, slander, tale-bearing, gossip, spreading false rumors and even staying silent if they had vital evidence of what really happened. Leviticus 5:1 says, “‘If anyone sins because they do not speak up when they hear a public charge to testify regarding something they have seen or learned about, they will be held responsible.” The prohibition against lying includes big lies and little lies, half-truths, flatteries and fibs. When we mislead, misquote, misinterpret, twist people’s words or take things out of context we violate this command. With this command, God was not just forbidding falsehood in our speech; He was also demanding truthfulness in our speech. This meant thinking and saying the best about someone, defending others who are being unfairly attacked, and speaking the truth in love.

The seriousness of this command is seen in James 3:5-6: “Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” Our tongue can cause us a lot of trouble especially if we don’t take this command seriously. We need to watch our speech and allow it to better connect us to each other instead of letting it tear our unity and community apart. This command means we need to have integrity of character because a lot of the lies and falsehoods we tell are not heard by those we are speaking against. We usually speak behind other people’s backs, not to their faces. But imagine if everything we said in a days’ time was broadcast for everyone to hear. If everything we said about someone was heard by that person. Now sometimes what we say does get back to the person we were talking about, but we know that everything we say is heard by God himself. He hears it all. So let’s be a people who don’t bear false witness against our neighbors and let’s “speak life” in every place we go and to every person we know.

My friend Greg is a coach and youth pastor who instills in his youth and players what he calls SpeakLIFE. This means to speak the life of God’s Word to each other. Because speaking life is the character of God and his son Jesus, we should do the same. The word LIFE is an acronym for Love, Inspire, Focus and Encourage. These are four-character traits that Jesus exemplified in his ministry. We can’t be fully connected to each other if we aren’t doing these things. Some questions to think about: How did Jesus show and speak love to others and are we showing and speaking the same love to our neighbors? Are we showing the character of Jesus, inspiring others in what we speak and how we act? Are we inspired by others who show the character of Jesus in what they speak and how they act? How are we helping each other stay focused on God and not on the world around us? What are we doing and saying to be an encouragement to those around us? That brings us to our second next step on the back of your communication card which is to Speak LIFE (Love, Inspire, Focus and Encouragement) to those around me.

The tenth word is “You shall not covet.” It goes on to explain the things we are not to covet that belong to our neighbors: his house, his wife, his male or female servant, his ox and donkey or anything that belongs to Him. The ninth word talked mainly about violations coming from our speech. The tenth word is talking about violations stemming from our hearts. Coveting starts in our hearts. Proverbs 4:23 says, “guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Coveting is a consuming desire which is not always wrong, but becomes a violation when we desire to possess in the wrong way something that belongs to another. It’s not simply wanting something we don’t have; it’s wanting the something that someone else possesses, for ourselves. The desire is stimulated by the beauty and desirability of that person or thing. It starts with forbidden feelings but is dangerous because it usually leads to forbidden acts. It is the last command because it is the root of the violations of all other commands. Mark 7:20-23 says, “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” Covetousness can be the starting point for murder, adultery, stealing and even bearing false witness.

Like stealing, being covetous, speaks to being discontent with what God has provided for us. In Ephesians 5:5, Paul identifies covetousness with idolatry which brings us full circle back to the first commandment. Covetousness can also come when we are constantly comparing ourselves to others. Ryken says, “We are always comparing ourselves to others, and frankly we resent it when we don’t get what they have.” James 4:1-2 says, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want.” We are given tangible examples of what we aren’t to covet, but we are also not to covet other people’s attributes: age, looks, brains, or talents. We are not to covet their situation in life: marriage, singleness, children. And we are not to covet their spiritual attainments, like a more prominent place of ministry in the church or wider recognition of our spiritual gifts. We are not allowed to covet anything at all. God’s law rules out every unlawful desire. Jesus condemned coveting, listing it right up there with theft, murder, and adultery in Mark 7:21-22.

The tenth commandment proves that God judges the heart and when that happens there is no human being on this earth who is righteous. We are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. Martin Luther said, “This last commandment, then, is addressed not to those whom the world considers wicked rogues, but precisely to the most upright—to people who wish to be commended as honest and virtuous because they have not offended against the preceding commandments.” As Luther recognized, this commandment—more than any other—convinces us we are sinners and that we are in need of a Savior. If you are here this morning or listening online and the Holy Spirit is convicting you of sin and of being in need of a Savior I ask you to mark “Send me info about becoming a follower of Jesus” in the upper right on the back of your communication card. And I will be in contact with you about that. ​​ 

So what can we do to keep from coveting what others have? We need to be content. 1 Timothy 6:6-7 says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” And we need to have our heart in the right place. Matthew 6:19-21 says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” And I want to read Proverbs 4:23 again: “guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

Let us be a people who are content with what God has given us and store our treasures in heaven and not on this earth. Let us be a people who strive to be better connected to each other through our actions, our speech and our thoughts. That brings us to our third next step this morning which is to Strive to be better connected to others through my actions, speech and thoughts.

In December 2001 George O’Leary was on top of the world. He had just been named head football coach at the University of Notre Dame—the Fighting Irish. It was the dream of a lifetime. O’Leary was in charge of one of the most prestigious sports programs in the world. Then two days later, at the end of his first day on the job, the call came. A reporter had been trying to contact some of the guys who had played college football with O’Leary back at New Hampshire. The strange thing was, nobody could remember anyone named George O’Leary. So Notre Dame’s sports information director telephoned to find out what it was all about. O’Leary reluctantly admitted that he hadn’t actually played football at New Hampshire. But years before, when O’Leary applied for a job at Syracuse, he had been asked for information about his athletic background. Some of what he provided was true, like the high school football championships, but somehow it didn’t look impressive enough; so the applicant decided to improve his résumé. There it was twenty-one years later, in his own handwriting: “College—Univ. of New Hampshire—3 yr. lettered.”

It was just a small lie, really, but it was big enough to turn O’Leary’s dream into a nightmare, costing him not only his job, but also his reputation. Perhaps the most telling response came from the coach’s brother, who said, “Is anyone trying to tell me that résumés are truthful? In the America we live in, the willingness to lie on a résumé is an indication of how much you want the job.” We all know that lying is wrong. Yet we are so used to massaging the truth for personal advantage that we have trouble holding the line against falsehood. A columnist for Time magazine wrote: “The injunction against bearing false witness, branded in stone and brought down by Moses from the mountaintop, has always provoked ambivalent, conflicting emotions. On the one hand, nearly everybody condemns lying. On the other, nearly everyone does it every day.”

The Ten Commandments display the character of God. They reveal his sovereignty, jealousy, justice, holiness, honor, faithfulness, providence, truthfulness, and love. When we see how God has poured himself into his law, it becomes obvious that he could not have given us any other commandments than the ones he gave. The Ten Commandments express God’s will for our lives because they are based on his character. This helps answer an ancient dilemma, one that Plato posed in one of his famous dialogues: Does God command the law because the law is good or is the law good because God commands it? The answer is, both! The law, with all its goodness, springs from the goodness of God’s character. The law is good because God is good, and his goodness penetrates every aspect of his law. Let us be people who long for God to form His holy and moral character in our lives, being obedient to His commands, which will help us to be better connected to God and to each other. (Big Idea)

As Gene & Roxey come to lead us in a final hymn and as the ushers prepare to collect the tithes and offerings, let’s pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word. Thank you for the truths found in it. Help us to take your Word into our hearts and be obedient to it. May we show by our actions, speech and thoughts that your holy and moral character is being formed in us. May we speak life to those around us and may we strive to be better connected to you and to each other by what we do, say and think. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

 

 

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Connected (to God)

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CONNECTED (To God)

In their book “The Day America Told the Truth”, James Patterson and Peter Kim lay down the law for postmodern times. They observe that today there is “absolutely no moral consensus at all.… Everyone is making up their own personal moral codes—their own Ten Commandments.” Patterson and Kim proceed to list what they call the “ten real commandments,” the rules that according to their surveys people actually live by. These rules include the following: —I don’t see the point in observing the Sabbath; —I will steal from those who won’t really miss it; —I will lie when it suits me, so long as it doesn’t cause any real damage; —I will cheat on my spouse—after all, given the chance, he or she will do the same; —I will procrastinate at work and do absolutely nothing about one full day in every five.

These new commandments are based on moral relativism, the belief that we are free to make up our own rules, based on our own personal preferences. The law is not something that comes from God, but something we come up with on our own. And our laws usually conflict with God’s laws. It is not surprising that what Patterson and Kim call the “ten real commandments” generally violate the laws that God gave to Moses. We have become a law unto ourselves. One would hope to find that the situation is somewhat better in the church. Surely God’s own people honor the permanent, objective standard of God’s law! Yet the church is full of worshipers who do not even know the Ten Commandments, let alone know how to keep them. This problem was documented in a recent report from The Princeton Religion Research Center. The headline read, “Religion Is Gaining Ground, but Morality Is Losing Ground,” and the report showed how recent increases in church attendance and Bible reading have been offset by a simultaneous decline in morality. How is this possible? How can people be more interested in God and at the same time less willing to do what he says? The only explanation is that people do not know the God of the Bible, because if they did, they would recognize the absolute authority of his law. Respect for God always demands respect for his law. And whenever people have a low regard for God’s law, as they do in our culture, it is ultimately because they have a low regard for God.

Last week, I challenged us to be ready this morning to meet the God who gave the Ten Commandments. From the above we realize that we don’t truly “know” God because if we did, we would know and obey His commands set forth in His Word. We wouldn’t want to make up our own laws, we would want to follow and obey His laws, because we love him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. As we look at the Ten Commandments the next couple of weeks, we will be reminded of who our God is because they are all about Him. They are not just a list of rules, but they show his love, care and concern for us as his people. They help us to understand why the creator of the universe wanted a relationship with us. He chose to create human beings in his image with whom he wanted to be in a relationship with and whom he wanted to reflect his character. The Ten Commandments remind us that since the beginning of creation, God has wanted people to “know” him and worship him because he is the only one worthy of being known and worshiped. ​​ The Ten Commandments were about taking the people he had saved, forming his holy character in them, so they would reflect that holy character to the world around them, all for his honor and glory. That brings us to our big idea this morning which is that God desires to form His holy character in His people.

Let’s pray: Heaven Father, pour out your Holy Spirit on us as we open your Word this morning. Open up our hearts and minds to what you want us to learn and share with those we come in contact with this week, as we study your Ten Commandments. Let us remember that you are a holy God and you demand holiness from us. I pray that we will use these commands from your Word to form your Holy character in us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

We have two points this morning, the first is Connected by Covenant, found in Exodus 20:1-2. This is what God’s Word says, “And God spoke all these words: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

Before we jump into the scripture, here’s some background for us. First, what is this covenant that connected the Israelites to the Lord? In Genesis 12:1-3 we read these words, “The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Abraham was faithful to the Lord and his commands. That faithfulness was passed down to Isaac, Jacob or Israel, to Joseph and to the Israelite people in Egypt. The Lord saved the Israelites from slavery and was bringing them to the land he had promised them because of his promises made to Abraham. They were connected to God by this covenant. ​​ 

Second, these laws were not given to the Israelites while they were still slaves in Egypt. The Lord didn’t want them to believe that by observing these laws they were able to save themselves from their oppression. God’s law was given to a people who had already been saved by his grace. They needed to know how to live as His people saved by Him, so they could fulfill their purpose of being a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. By obeying these laws, they would be closer connected to God and to each other, showing their commitment to him and their love for one another. ​​ Strom notes, “The Lord did not give the law to establish his relationship with the Israelites. He gave it because he already had a relationship with his people, and he wanted them now to learn how to express this relationship faithfully.”

That brings us to last week. If you remember, Moses and the Israelites have all gathered around the base of Mt. Sinai. Moses has just come down from meeting with the Lord and warns the people not to touch the mountain or they will die. The stage is now set for the people to hear from the Lord and He speaks directly to them for the first time. Verses 1 and 2 are an introduction to the laws that God is going to lay down before His people. This introduction was very similar to the “treaties” of the day that were set up between a King and the peoples subject to him. The king would introduce himself and then would state the historical facts of their relationship which would be the motivation for them to follow his commands. Here the Lord introduces Himself as “the Lord your God” which was his covenant name, Yahweh. He also reminded them that it was he who had brought them out of slavery in Egypt. The Lord had saved them, showing his love for them and his continuing commitment to them as his people, and now he wanted them to love him in return. Their love would be demonstrated by their obedience to his laws, which were not handed down to restrict them but to free them to worship and serve Him alone.

A couple of other notes: Nowhere are these laws called the Ten Commandments, that’s the English translation for the Decalogue or in Hebrew, simply “Ten Words.” Also, there is an order to the Ten Words. The first four focus on our relationship to God. If we obey these “words” from the Lord, we will be better connected to Him. Today we are also going to cover the fifth “word” as it is a transition between the first four and the last five. Next week we will look at “words” six through ten which focus on our relationship to each other. If we obey those “words” of the Lord, we will be better connected to one another. We must first be totally committed and surrender to the Lord with the proper behavior before we can even begin to behave properly with our fellow human beings. In Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus put it like this: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself.

After identifying himself to the people and reminding them of the historical reasons for being in covenant with him, the Lord will now give them the stipulations, or terms, of the covenant. That brings us to our second point called, Connected to God, found in Exodus 20:3-12. This is what God’s Word says, “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

The first “word” or command that the Lord gives to his people starts where he began in verse 1, “I am the Lord your God” and logically it follows that if he is the Lord their God then they shall have no other gods before Him. Because of who he is (Yahweh) and what he has done (saved them), he will not share his worship with any other. He should be the only one that they worship. This doesn’t mean that as long as they worship Yahweh first, they can worship other gods second. This means that he is to be exclusively worshiped by His people. This was unique religiously in the ancient world at that time where all other peoples worshiped many gods. God was making a unique claim that he was the one and only true god, all other gods were false, and his people should worship Him and Him alone. Remember they had come from Egypt who had a god for every aspect of their life and land. The Lord had already proven them to be false gods, but the Israelites, in slavery, only really knew about these many gods. Now they would come to intimately “know” the one true God by accepting and obeying these commands from the Lord their God.

Another thing to note is that these “words” from Lord are all in the second person singular meaning even though they were spoken to the nation as a whole, they were to be obeyed individually by each member of the community. When we speak of becoming holy or becoming more like Jesus as we have in previous years here at Idaville Church, we must individually do those things before our church as a whole can be transformed into being holy or more like Jesus. Obedience has to start with us individually just as it had to start with each individual Israelite before they could become a “holy nation.” Like Israel, we are also called to worship the one true God and are not to have any other gods before us. Today we are tempted to worship the false gods or idols of our culture—sex, money, power, luxury, security, pride, social prestige, love of country, profession, self-worship and even other people. ​​ Matthew Henry states, “Pride makes a god of self, covetousness makes a god of money, sensuality makes a god of the belly; whatever is esteemed or loved, feared or served, delighted in or depended on, more than God, that (whatever it is) we do in effect make a god of.” So, how can we know if we are violating God’s first “word” or command? First, we must ask ourselves “What do I love?” What are my passions and obsessions? Are they taking the place of God in my heart? Second, we must ask ourselves “What do I trust?” Where do I turn to in times of trouble, trial or struggle in my life? What gives me security? Like Israel we are called to be totally and exclusively committed to God and trust only in his son, Jesus. How can we keep our focus on the one true God and not the gods of this world? We must strive to fall passionately and deeply in love with Jesus every day. That brings us to our first next step on the back of your communication card which is to Fall more passionately and deeply in love with Jesus daily, having no other gods before Him.

The second “word” or command is one of the longer words and has four parts to it. The first part is the rule. They were not to make any idols for themselves to serve as objects of worship. Idols were usually made out of wood or stone and were created to make the god accessible and to be controlled by the worshiper. The Lord is not talking about the pagan gods of the day because he prohibited them in the first “word.” He was talking about idols that were created to represent himself. He banned all created things in heaven, on the earth or under the waters, from being made into an idol. There were no exceptions. He didn’t want His people to try to control Him and put him on the same level as themselves. He is Yahweh, the one true God, higher than any other persons or things. He is sovereign and can’t be controlled by rites and words. This speaks to the transcendence of God – the theological concept that God is above and beyond human comprehension and his creation. The Lord, because of his holiness, kept his true form shielded from the people. It would have been wrong to have claimed to know the nature of God that he had deliberately hidden from them. Any images of God were both unnecessary and inappropriate.

God is defining what proper worship is. They were not to bow down to any idols or worship them. This ran counter to how God desired true worship to be. The first “word” instructed them on whom they were to worship, the second “word” instructed them about how they were to worship. Since God is spirit, he commanded them to worship him in spirit and not with images. John 4:24 says, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” To worship any created object, even if it were to represent God, was equal to idolatry and was considered adultery by the Lord which brings us to the second part of this “word”, the reason. The reason they were not to bow down or worship these idols was because He is a jealous God. God loves his people too much to not be jealous when they take another lover. This jealousy might be better defined as zealousness, a passionate, intense caring love and loyalty that God has for his people that comes from the uniqueness of God and his unique relationship with them. The Lord doesn’t ignore, take lightly or is indifferent about his people going after other gods. God is jealous because he is supreme. God’s jealousy is love in action. Redpath says, “He knows that upon loyalty to Him depends our very moral life . . . God is not jealous of us: he is jealous for us.”

The third part of this “word” is a warning. There was a punishment for not keeping this “word” or command. The Lord would punish the children for the sin of their fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate him. The reason for this is because replacing God with idols has far-reaching consequences. God created the world with cause and effect, where the actions and choices of the parents precondition the choices of the children. If the parents are worshiping other gods, it becomes a learned behavior and one that is hard to erase. When a family is worshiping something other than God, the truth about God and the truths found in the Bible are not passed down to the next generation. The Jewish people had a strong family culture. It was not unreasonable for there to be children, parents, grandparents and possibly great-grandparents all living in the same house. If the hatred and disdain for God has been passed down in the same family, who have all been living together, you can see how it would be difficult to change that behavior. We all have free will to do what is right so the children will be punished for modeling the sin of their fathers.

The fourth part of this “word” is a promise. The Lord will show love/blessing to a thousand generations of those who love Him and kept his commandments. God’s love will be given to those children who model the good choices of their parents because they have loved the Lord by being obedient to his commands. Even if the parents’ choices have preconditioned the children to make the wrong choices, the children must still make the choice to do what is right. If they do so they will be blessed and if they don’t, they will be punished. ​​ Here we see the greatest contrast in the Bible – three/four generations to thousands. God’s desire is for his people to remain loyal to Him so that he can bless them. A thousand generations defines the limitless extent of the mercy shown by God. Two things we can learn from this: One, God holds families responsible for their conduct within their families. Two, the promise is more powerful than the warning because its blessing lasts not just for three or four generations but for a thousand; in other words, it will last forever.

This warning and promise should make us search our lives. Even if we don’t have children of our own, we all probably have younger relatives that we are in contact with. And no matter what, we are all influencing the next generation in some way. So some questions for you this morning? What kind of life are you leading? What kind of worship are you giving? What kind of legacy are you leaving? This goes for our families and in our church. That brings us to the second next step which is to Leave a legacy of proper worship for the next generation.

The third “word” or command is “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” This word is structured like the second: it contains a prohibition followed by a threat of punishment for those who do not obey. Literally, “You shall not bear up (or lift up) the name of the Lord your God to falsehood (or emptiness).” The “name of the Lord” refers to all that the Lord has revealed of himself: his identity, his reputation and his character. When we ‘lift up his name to falsehood’ we are acting as if we are loyal to the Lord, on the one hand, but are trying to manipulate Him or misappropriate his name, on the other. God is not at our disposal. We must approach him in reverence, awe and holiness not in a false way. This “word” defends the honor of God’s great name. The Lord speaks in the third person which again brings attention to his covenant name, Yahweh, who defeated the Egyptians, saving them from slavery, so that his name would be proclaimed to the entire world, all for his glory. ​​ 

We demean God’s reputation and character by speaking His name in an empty or vain way. This is done when we use God’s name to guarantee an oath, we know we won’t keep. Or when we refer to God in a frivolous, mocking, or disrespectful manner or when we say things in God’s name that aren’t true such as false prophecy. In the OT, the mark of a true prophet was that everything he prophesied came true. If even one prophecy didn’t come true, he was put to death. That was how serious this “word” was. Also, we shouldn’t say anything to make God appear insignificant, faithless or unholy. This prohibition would also include profanity especially with God’s name attached. Think about what the use of God’s name attached to profanity tells others about God and what we think of Him, especially those who don’t know Him. It tells them that we don’t respect our God, so why should they? God demands respect and reverence for His holy name.

When we profane the Lord’s name, we treat the holy and sacred as common and secular. We do this when we speak about Him carelessly, thoughtlessly, or flippantly, as if he didn’t matter or really didn’t exist at all. We should avoid any use of God’s name that detracts from how He is perceived. Yahweh’s name must be honored, blessed, praised, celebrated, pronounced, and so shared. When the name of Jesus Christ is lifted up and exalted, people come to him for their salvation. So the way we lift up his name is doubly important as there is a connection between honoring God’s name and spreading the gospel. The threat attached to this “word” shows that God expects to be obeyed. Those who break his law will be charged with guilt and will not go unpunished. Leviticus 24:15–16a, says this, “Say to the Israelites: ‘If anyone curses his God, he will be held responsible; anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord must be put to death.’”

The fourth “word” or commandment is the longest one and is one of two that are expressed positively instead of negatively: “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.” This word comes in three parts. The first part tells us what to do. We are to “remember” the Sabbath by keeping it holy. To “remember” can mean to recall from the past or to keep in mind for the future. The Sabbath was first instituted back in Exodus 16:22-26 when God gave manna to the people. They were to gather enough on the sixth day for that day and the next, because they were to cease from working on the seventh day. As they remembered the Sabbath every single week, they would be celebrating God’s work of creation and redemption. The second part of this “word” specifies how they were to keep it holy. God began by telling them what he wanted them to do the other six days. They were to work. And on the seventh day they were to rest. But the seventh day was not just a day to do whatever they wanted to do. It was to be dedicated to the Lord for his worship and service. The seventh day was to be sanctified and set apart for sacred use, it was a Sabbath to the Lord. God was governing their work and their rest as he commanded them to cease working on the seventh day.

We must use the Sabbath to rest and recharge our physical and spiritual well-being. This is what means to keep the Sabbath holy. Also, we can’t work seven days a week like it’s our efforts that are supplying our needs. We must rely on God to provide what we need when we need it. Everyone was to keep the Sabbath. It was to provide a regular weekly reminder for all, even their servants, animals and aliens within their gates. Even those who did not profess faith in God but were living among the Israelites had to respect the God-given structures in their community. This command also prohibited the Israelites from making their children, servants or the aliens do their work. Everyone was to benefit from a Sabbath rest and be free and ready to worship and serve the Lord. The Sabbath was a sign of the covenant in that, as they stopped their work for one day every week, they openly demonstrated that they were keeping the covenant. This word was to remind the Israelites that their relationship with the Lord was special. Nowhere else in the ancient world was there this idea of taking one complete day of rest out of every seven.

The third part of this command tells us why we are to take a Sabbath day. The fundamental reason for obeying this command is because God is our model for a Sabbath rest. After creating the world in six days, the Lord who didn’t need to “rest”, rested on the seventh day. The Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. We are to obey this command because God made it holy, and he desires to form His holy character in His people (Big Idea). There must be a rhythm of life, of work and rest and worship. The Sabbath was designed to help us become spiritually stronger and closer connected to God. He knew the effects constant work would have on our bodies and spirits, so he graciously and lovingly gave us one day a week to recharge both our bodies and souls. Also, the writer of Hebrews, in chapter 4, links the Sabbath to the final rest that all of God’s people will enjoy. In this “word” God declared his sovereignty over the entire life of Israel. All time belongs to God and serves to remind us of the sacredness of all our days. Observing the Sabbath is a mark of our devotion to God and should be a witness to our neighbors who don’t know Jesus.

The fifth “word” or commandment is also a positive worded command. “Honor your father and mother” is a transitional command forming a bridge between those “words” that connect us in relationship to God and those that connect us in relationship to each other. The reason that this “word” is connected to the first four “words” is because God is our ultimate father. The honor and respect we are to show God the Father is the same we are to show our earthly fathers and mothers because they are the ones who are to represent God to their children. By placing this command here, it shows the importance of the family. God addresses the earthly human relationship that is central to the continuation of the covenant through the generations – the parent/child relationship. This relationship serves as a reflection of God’s relationship with us. The word for “honor” means “heavy” or “weighty.” To honor our parents means to give due weight to their position and authority. They should be treated publicly and privately with due respect as long as they live. Honoring parents is more demanding than just obedience. To honor means to respect, esteem, value and prize our fathers and mothers as a gift from God. This command is so important, Ryken says, “The way to destroy a nation is to destroy the family, and the way children can destroy the family is by disobeying their parents.” “God intended the family to be the first hospital, the first school, the first government, and the first church. If we do not respect authority at home, we will not respect it anywhere.” This fifth “word” is God’s plan for preserving the family.

The fifth command requires respect for our parents, but it also forbids showing them disrespect. We see this later in Leviticus 20:9: “If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother, and his blood will be on his own head.” ​​ In the NT, in 2 Timothy 3:1-2, we see that disobedience to parents is listed as one of the signs that we are living in the “terrible times” of “the last days.” So, why should children obey their parents? Colossians 3:20 says, “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.” ​​ Ephesians 6:1 says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” But probably the best reason is because God added a promise to this command, “so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” God had just brought the Israelites out of slavery and promised to take them to a land all their own. One way to ensure that they could continue to live in this Promised Land was to honor their fathers and mothers in faith. This was not a promise of individual long life, but it was a promise of the fullness of God’s blessing, a promise of an abundant life. This is echoed in the NT, in Ephesians 6:2: “Honor your father and mother’… that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Keeping the fifth word is essential to God’s plan for passing down faith. Parents have the God-given responsibility to teach their children to know, serve and worship the Lord. But children won’t learn those lessons if they don’t have respect for their parents. And their respect for their parents should last for a lifetime. No matter how young or old we are and no matter how old our parents are, we must show them the respect that they deserve for the role that God has placed them in our lives.

We notice some important things here. Even in the patriarchal structure of Israel both the father and the mother were to be honored. Their status had to be jointly acknowledged to preserve the integrity of the family and promote the well-being of society. This command also speaks of honoring and respecting all of those in authority over us. The fifth word rules our relationship to the government. 1 Peter 2:13, 17 says, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men.… Show proper respect to everyone … fear God, honor the king.” It also regulates our work. We are to respect our bosses and show honor to our employers. It also requires respect for the leaders of our churches. Respecting our church leaders means to pray for them, encourage them, and assist them in their efforts for our spiritual progress. But if we don’t first respect and honor God, the Father, we won’t respect and honor those that God has put in authority over us.

During the days of the gold rush, a young man and his bride set out across the country to make their fortunes. ​​ Somewhere along the way, they drank some contaminated water, and the young bride became ill and died before they could reach Fort Kearney in Nebraska. ​​ Heartbroken, the young man took her body to the highest hill and buried it using the wagon bed to make a coffin. ​​ He drove down some wooden stakes to mark the grave, thinking that he would go on West and later come back. ​​ But the more he thought about it, the more he was certain that he couldn’t go on. ​​ He said to himself, “I’ll forget where this is; I will never remember it.” So, he retraced his steps all the way to St. Louis, Missouri. ​​ He found a stonecutter and had him prepare a tombstone engraved with the name “Susan Hale” along with the date of her birth and death. He tried vainly to get someone to haul it back for him, but all the wagons going west were already overloaded, and no one would help him. ​​ Finally, he bought a wheelbarrow, put the stone in it, and walked those weary miles back toward Fort Kearney, and set the stone up on her grave. It’s a tender story. ​​ The man knew that there was something he must never forget. ​​ Here was a sacred spot on earth, and he must always remember where it was. Thus, it is with Mount Sinai and the Ten Commandments. ​​ The Ten commandments have been set up for us so that we will never forget the importance of some things. ​​ We keep coming back to them, for they speak to us of eternal truths and values. These Ten Words were given to us and to remind us that God desires to form His Holy character in us. Let us be a people who, because the Lord is God and has saved us for His honor and glory, remember and write His words in our heart and strive to obey them daily. In doing so he is forming His holy character in us. (Big Idea) That brings us to our last next step, which is to Remember God’s words, obey them and pass them on.

Next week we will look at how we can be better connected to each other as we study words six through ten. As the ushers prepare to collect the tithes and offerings and as Gene and Roxey come to lead us in a final hymn, let’s pray: Lord, thank you for the privilege of being together in your house. I pray that we would take these words of yours to heart. That we would have no other gods before you, striving to fall more passionately and deeply in love with you. That we would leave a legacy of proper worship for the next generation and that we would remember these words, obey them and pass them on. May we allow you to continually form your holy character is us, every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

/by

Not Safe, But Good

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NOT SAFE, BUT GOOD

In C.S. Lewis’ book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Aslan is the rightful king and ruler of Narnia. He is both intolerably severe and irresistibly tender and not to be trifled with. All throughout the Narnia Chronicles we encounter a being who is wild and on the loose. He is not to be tied down, he cannot be controlled, manipulated, or bullied. He commands reverence and obedience. When the Pevensie children first hear about Aslan, they are unsure what to think. Should they be afraid? Susan asks, “Is he—quite safe?” I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.” Mrs. Beaver responds, “If there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.” Then Lucy asks, “Then he isn’t safe?” To which Mrs. Beaver responds, “Safe? . . . Who said anything about safe? Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King I tell you.”

In our scripture today, found in Exodus 19:16-25, the Israelites are going to meet Yahweh close up for the first time. He had proven his love, care and concern for them as he heard their groanings in Egypt, bringing them out of slavery and bringing them salvation at the Red Sea. ​​ He has proven his provision, protection and his presence with them by guiding them in the wilderness by a pillar of fire and cloud, providing water, manna and quail and defeating the Amalekites in battle. Last week, Pastor Doug taught us about how the Lord brought the Israelites to Mt. Sinai. He called them a treasured possession, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. The Lord then commanded Moses to prepare the Israelites to meet Him at the mountain. Moses consecrated the people for two consecutive days, having them wash their clothes and abstain from sexual relations. They were to be ready to meet the Lord on the third day. Moses also put limits around the mountain and commanded the people to not go up the mountain or to even touch it or they would be put to death.

This is because Yahweh was not safe. He was not to be trifled with. He commanded reverence and obedience and awe and holiness from those in covenant with him. The Israelites could not meet him and worship him the way they were. They needed to be consecrated and made clean in order to meet with their holy God. But he commanded the Israelites to do this because he was good. He is Holy and Just and the Israelites were sinful, human beings. The two could not come together without dire consequences. So, the Lord, because he is good, commanded Moses to prepare the people to meet him in this way, because he is a Holy God.

As Pastor Doug also mentioned last week, we were made to worship God and it is a daily worship, not just a Sunday and or Wednesday thing. But unlike the Israelites we don’t not need to fear coming before him, because Jesus has paid the price for our sins and is now our perfect mediator. But we must have a “fear of the Lord” when we approach Him. We must come before him in reverence. We must come before Him in awe of who he is and what he has done for us. We must come before him in holiness, consecrated, with a clean heart. The question for each one of us this morning is “Do we come before the Lord, in daily worship, with reverence, awe and holiness?” I must admit that I don’t always do that, but I am striving for that each and every day and I hope you are too. I implore you this morning to think on that question and to search your hearts, minds and souls to see if your daily worship measures up to God’s standards. That brings us to our big idea this morning that God demands that His people approach Him in reverence, awe and holiness.

Let’s pray:

 

Our first point is “Storm” found in Exodus 19:16-19. This is what God’s Word says, “On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.”

The people have been consecrated for the past two days. They have washed their clothes which was an outward preparation symbolizing an inward consecration that was required to meet with God at the mountain. They are now ready, and God shows up at the exact time he said he would. His terrifying presence coming down from heaven is announced in a number of ways. First, there was a storm of thunder and lightning. Second, there was a thick cloud that enveloped the mountain. Third, there was a very loud trumpet blast. Thunder, lightning and clouds are signs of the power and presence of God, signaling that a theophany was about to take place. Dunnam states that this “theophany was an emphatic appearance of God to Israel.” The presence of God was coming down from heaven to earth to meet with his people. The Lord had been guiding his people in the wilderness by a pillar of cloud and fire. Now a thick cloud covered the mountain shielding his “glory” from the people so they could not accidentally gaze upon Him. There was also a very loud trumpet blast. But it didn’t come from the camp, it came from heaven. This supernatural trumpet blast signaled that God was approaching them and that they could approach God at the foot of the mountain.

The effects of the thunder, lightning and the cloud, caused the people to tremble with fear. They trembled with fear but also with reverence and awe for what they saw before them. There were terrifying sights and loud sounds going on around them. Even though it’s probably sometime after dawn, the thunder, lightning and thick cloud amplified the effects of the storm and the intermittent darkness. We notice how scary the storm is because everyone trembled, even Moses. We see this in Hebrews 12:21 which says, “The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, ‘I am trembling with fear.’” Moses was even afraid, and he had been in God’s presence before at the burning bush. When the trumpet sounded, signaling the people could approach, Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with Him and they stood at the foot of the mountain. They had already been warned not to even touch the mountain because it was holy. It was made holy because of God’s presence on it. They had been consecrated and had washed their clothes in preparation for this meeting with God. Their reverence, awe and holiness were the only way they could even hope to approach the Lord, but they still had to be careful to be obedient and not go onto the mountain.

The Lord descended on the mountain with smoke and fire. Smoke and fire are further signs of God’s presence. Fire represents God’s purity and magnifies that the presence of God is threatening and dangerous. The smoke billowed up from the mountain like smoke from a kiln furnace. The Hebrew “from a furnace” is used only one other time in the OT in Genesis 19:28, referring to the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah. DeYoung says, “They must have thought, “Who is this God of great judgment, power, might, and unrivaled strength? Is it safe to be here at the foot of this mountain?” It would not have been safe because Yahweh was not safe. Then the whole mountain itself trembled violently from the presence of the Lord upon it. The added effect of an earthquake meant that all the forces of nature had come to bear upon the mountain: lightning, thunder, darkness, smoke, fire, and earthquake. And then the sound of the supernatural trumpet grew louder and louder. All of the people’s senses: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch were being assaulted as they came into the presence of the of the Lord. This scene shows how important what was about to happen, the giving of the Ten Commandments, would be for Israel and all humanity.

Then the people were witnesses to something spectacular. Moses spoke with God and God spoke back to Moses. The Hebrew has the meaning of an ongoing conversation. The people seemed to have heard the words that were spoken but we the audience were not told what was said. This conversation served a couple purposes. First, this verified and vindicated Moses as God’s chosen leader of the Israelite people. In the wilderness the people had grumbled and complained against God’s chosen leader and now God is setting them straight. The journey is not over by a long shot, and they need to know that Moses is God’s chosen prophet. The second reason is related to the first. Back in Exodus 3:12, God told Moses that the sign to the people that he was sent by God was that they would worship God on this very mountain. God was gracious to Moses in that he not only fulfilled his promise to him from chapter three, but he verified and vindicated Moses’ position with God and the people.

Because they approached God in the correct way, in reverence, awe and holiness they were able to stand before him and witness his glory. (Big Idea). We must approach the Lord in the same way. We must approach the Lord in reverence, awe and holiness. But we can’t even begin to approach him in these ways if we don’t have a relationship with Him. If we haven’t accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we won’t revere Him or stand in awe of Him and we can’t be holy before him. We must first accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior which allows us to come into His presence. We must admit that we are sinners. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” We must believe that Jesus died on a cross to take the punishment for our sin, was buried and rose again. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Lastly, we must confess Jesus as the Lord of our life. Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” This brings us to our first next step on the back of your communication card and it is for those who have not accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. My next step is to Admit I am a sinner, believe that Jesus was crucified, buried and rose again and confess Jesus as Lord of my life.

Now even though we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we still can’t just rush into God’s presence willy-nilly and with reckless abandon. We must, like the Israelites, also prepare ourselves daily to be in His presence. We must approach the Lord in reverence, awe and holiness. We must have a healthy respect and fear of the Lord God Almighty. We must search our hearts for unconfessed sin and confess it before the Lord and then with a cleansed heart we can approach Him. We can do this because Jesus paid the penalty for our sin and is our perfect mediator. That brings us to our second next step which is to Approach the Lord, daily, in reverence, awe and holiness. This is not just a Sunday and/or Wednesday thing. We are not to limit our reverence, awe and holiness to the Lord only when we come into the church building. We are called into a lifestyle of reverence, awe and holiness. The holiness of God demands that of us.

That brings us to our second point this morning, Sanctity, found in Exodus 19:20-25. This is what God’s Word says, “The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up and the Lord said to him, “Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the Lord and many of them perish. Even the priests, who approach the Lord, must consecrate themselves, or the Lord will break out against them.” Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, ‘Put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy.’” The Lord replied, “Go down and bring Aaron up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them.” So Moses went down to the people and told them.”

After the people hear Moses and the Lord speaking, the Lord comes down to the top of Mt. Sinai and calls Moses to the top of the mountain to meet with him. We then get this seemingly weird interaction between Moses and the Lord. As soon as Moses gets up to the Lord, the Lord tells him to go back down and warn the people to not force their way up the mountain to see Him. And if they do they will perish. Even the priests who would be allowed to approach the Lord in normal circumstances had to consecrate themselves or the Lord would “break out” against them. Even they couldn’t take their sanctity for granted and that they were ready to be in the Lord’s presence. This again underlines the uniqueness of Moses’ role as God’s mediator with the Israelites. It gets stranger as Moses seems to disagree with the Lord about going back down to warn the people again. He reminds the Lord that he followed His earlier instructions. That safeguards and limits had already been set up around the mountain to keep the people from forcing their way through to see Him. Moses had put “sentries” around the base of the mountain who pretty much had “shoot to kill” orders if anyone tried to cross the boundary and touch the mountain. We see this earlier in 19:12-13. ​​ 

Notice God doesn’t rebuke Moses or even acknowledge that he said anything. He just told Moses to go down and bring Aaron back up with him but to warn the people and the priest to not force their way through to come up to the Lord. If they did, he would break out against them. This would be a different punishment than stoning or being shot by an arrow. The Lord himself would be the punisher of the person or priest who tried to force their way up the mountain to see him. There are a few things we can glean from this exchange. First, Moses is the only one who can approach God all the way up the mountain. Not even the priests can go up, again showing the privilege that Moses had as God’s mediator and leader. Second, Moses will not bring Aaron up right away. He will bring Aaron up with him the next time he meets with the Lord. Third, Moses and Aaron will receive the Ten Commandments with the people at the bottom of the mountain. Fourth, the Lord knew the Israelites better than Moses did. He knew what kind of people they were. He knew they were willful, stubborn, overconfident and arrogant. He knew that human nature might cause some of them to try and come up to see God if they thought they could. Maybe they felt that if Moses could go up the mountain then they could too. The Lord was all about teaching His people about Himself. This was just the beginning of teaching them about his holiness and their sinfulness and depravity. ​​ 

As we close out the chapter, we notice that Moses obeyed the Lord and went down and warned the people again. We should truly take this to heart because we are no different than the Israelites. We are willful, stubborn, overconfident and arrogant, as well. We complain and grumble against each other and against God too. God in his goodness sent Moses down to the people again because he didn’t want them to perish. God in his goodness, gave us his Word and his Son, Jesus, so we can know Him more and be obedient to his commands. We still need to be continually reminded which is part of why we come to church, go to Sunday school and listen to his Word preached. It is why we strive to be more like Jesus every day. In doing these things we are reminded of God’s holiness and what He requires and demands of us as his children, made in His image, and saved for his glory.

So, how should we respond to this narrative this morning? Hebrews 12:28-29 says, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” Our God is a consuming fire, so we must still be careful how we approach the Lord in worship. Acceptable worship must be in reverence and awe. But we do not need to be afraid to approach the Lord, as the Israelites were, because Jesus took the punishment for our sins. Hebrews 10:19-22 says, “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” Acceptable worship must be with obedience and holiness. We are commanded to stand in awe of the Lord, but we are also given access to Him. So, we come in awe, trembling in His presence because we are treading on holy ground. And we come with access, because we have been made righteous through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and his shed bled. God loves us and cares for us and is concerned for us, so he calls us to himself as he called Moses into his presence. But again, we never want to take our access to God the Father lightly or flippantly.

Next Sunday, we will begin our study of the Ten Commandments and the Law given by God to the Israelites. He gave his law to them so they would know how to be holy and then be able to approach him in daily worship. He gave His law to them so that they would “know” who he was and what he expected of them as his chosen people. I challenge all of us to prepare ourselves this week to meet with the Holy God who gave the Ten Commandments. This week let us daily approach the Lord with reverence, awe and in holiness and prepare our hearts and minds to meet our Awesome God as we start to study the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are not about a bunch of rules, they are about God himself. He gave them to the people and to us so that they and we would come to “know” him more. That brings us to our third next step which is to Prepare my heart and mind to meet with the God who gave the Ten Commandments, so I can “know” Him more.  ​​​​ 

I am going to finish this morning with this description of God from the Westminster Confession of Faith, and I want you to dwell on the awesomeness of our God as I read it. “There is only one living and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection. He is the purest spirit, invisible, with neither body, parts, nor passions. He is unchangeable, boundless, eternal, and incomprehensible. He is almighty, most wise, most holy, most free, and most absolute. He works all things according to the counsel of His own unchangeable and most righteous will, for His own glory. He is most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin, and He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. He is also most just and terrifying in His judgments, hating all sin, and will by no means acquit the guilty. God has all life, glory, goodness, and blessedness in and of Himself.”

Our Holy God demands reverence, awe and holiness from us (Big Idea). He is not to be trifled with. He is not safe, but he is good.

As Gene and Roxey, come to lead us in a final song and as the ushers come to collect the tithes and offering. Let’s pray:

Introduction: www.summit.org; “Not Safe, But Good”, Ben Keiser, November 6, 2020

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