March 9

Exodus 20; Luke 23

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 44: WHAT SHALL BE DONE TO THE WICKED AT THE DAY OF JUDGMENT?
Answer: At the Day of Judgment, the bodies of the wicked, being raised out of their graves shall be sentenced, together with their souls, to unspeakable torments with the devil and his angels forever.
Scripture: Daniel 12:2; John 5:28, 29; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; Mat- thew 25:41; Revelation 20:14-15.

Exodus 20

Ready:
In the previous chapter Moses was directed to prepare the people to receive the law.  They were to consecrate themselves for three days and they were asked to commit to what God was about to reveal because it would be necessary in order for them to receive the covenant blessings promised to Abraham, though it would come not by performing the law but by trusting God in the law (Rom 4:13-14).

Seeing what’s there:
I see the Lord deliver the prologue and the decalogue of the law in this chapter.  He further describes some statutes concerning worship in the close of the chapter.  The decalogue (Ten Commandments) is then given based upon this grounding that the law is for their good and comes from his mercy and is in keeping with his covenant promise to be their God.   These commandments are not given as an exhaustive list but as a basic understanding of what it looks like to be faithful to God in the covenant identity of the people of God. 

Key Verses:
Exodus 20:1-2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 24-26

Theme:
God presents to Israel the most basic revelation of what it means “to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness (table one- vertical) and justice (table two- horizontal), so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised to him” (Gen 18:19; Ex 19:5-6).

Thinking about the message:
I see the following structure in this account:

1. Promise of covenant mercy, divine enablement, and intention to bless
1. Precedes the law and is meant to protect the people from the law (mercy seat)
2. Holy standards of God induce fear and sense of inadequacy
1. How to relate to God
2. How to relate to others
3. Worship in the form of acknowledging and thanking God (honoring him) is ordered with specific guidelines
1. This worship would lack if it were not done in context of a people who understand they are wholly incapable of meeting the divine standard of God apart from mercy.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

   
    v1-2.  Here God addresses the people of Israel directly from the smoke and lightning and thunder of the mountain (Ex 20:18-19, 22, 32:8).  The prologue is the beginning of his words spoken directly to the people of Israel and establishes his identity and his intention to do them good with this revelation.  This opening statement also establishes the foundational idea that they will consider the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to be their God and this brings along with it the concept of worship and devotion, which will not be understood in proper context until they consider the character of God and his standards.  I see reference to covenant mercy in the words “I am the Lord your God,…” because this is related to his promise to Abraham in Gen 17:7-8, which has a context of God announcing that he has already accomplished what has not yet happened.  I see reference to divine enablement in the words “…who brought you out of the land of Egypt,…” because we know that it was him who accomplished this impossible feat apart from their own faith or effort (Ex 19:4).  I see reference to God’s intention to bless them and do them good by this law in the words “…out of the house of slavery”.  The Lord heard their cry and God has devoted himself to the good of his people (Ex 3:7-8; Jer 32:40-41).   Exodus 25:21-22 (including the whole section leading into it) establishes that this testimony of the law was never meant to stand alone but was always to be related to with an intermediary between the people and this law…the mercy seat…the propitiation…the atoning sacrifice…Jesus.  The law by itself can do nothing but condemn (Rom 4:15; Gal 3:21-22) and it must be understood in the context of this prologue or it brings only death (1 Cor 15:56-57).
    v3-11.  Table one.  The first four commandments are vertical in nature and have to do with our heart and our actions as they relate to our relationship to God.  He intends that we do not place anything else on par with his value in our life and that we do not raise up anything else as a god that we would serve and worship.  He alone is to hold that place of honor and value in our hearts.  He intends that we would not attempt to create a likeness of him to worship because any likeness of him is not him.  He is immaterial and eternal and nothing within his creation can represent him…the closest thing is man.  The only man that adequately reflects the glory of God, because he is God in the flesh, is his eternal Son.  This necessarily also includes making a likeness of a different god.  God describes that he is a jealous God who curses those who hate him and do not obey him in faith (Deut 28:15; Rom 2:6, 8-9), but he blesses those who love him and obey him in faith (Deut 28:1-2; Rom 2:6, 7, 10).  God is jealous that his glory be upheld to the great joy of mankind (Is 48:11; Psalm 37:4; 16:11).  The greatest thing God offers us is himself and in him we will have joy eternal.  Jealousy is wanting to receive what is owed but is wrongly being given to another.  God is righteously jealous of our love that when our highest devotion is given to someone or something other than him, we do violence to his glory and our joy.  He intends that we hallow his name and never use it flippantly or without holy purpose.  In the most practical sense today, this likely means not letting “God”, “Jesus”, “Lord”, or any other name/title that we use for God to be used in profanity or useless talk.  Certainly it means not using “Yahweh” or “Jesus” (personal names of God) in anything but a reverent and purposeful context.  Finally, he intends that we keep the Sabbath Holy.  Romans 14:5-6 helps us to come to the common Christian understanding that observing the Sabbath is not to be seen as an explicit commandment to not do any form of work, as it was in the OT, but the principle of rest and holy setting apart of time to worship is clearly seen in the NT and should be practiced today.  There is a whole variety of ways this is lived out among the various denominations and traditions today.  I believe that how it is kept holy comes to personal conviction as illustrated in Rom 14, but no doubt the question should be “how can I honor God with my rest and community worship of him this week?”
    v12-17.  Table two.  The sixth to tenth commandments are horizontal in nature and have to do with our heart and our actions as they relate to our relationships with others.  God intends that we will honor our parents…even when they are old and need our care.  He intends that we will not end any human life intentionally or through carelessness or negligence.  This necessarily excludes killing in the fulfillment of God’s will such as capital punishment (Gen 9:5; Ex 21:23).  It should be noted that the Ex 21 reference was “life for life” is related to the harming of an unborn child.  He intends that we are not to commit adultery but are to be faithful in marriage since our marriage is a representation of the gospel and faithlessness here, therefore, is violence toward God (Eph 5:32; Mal 2:16).  He intends that we do not steal from one another but that we are generous and compassionate (Luke 3:11).  He intends that we do not lie for personal gain by misrepresenting others actions.  This command can probably be expanded appropriately to include no lying at all (Col 3:9).  He intends that we are content and that we do not covet the belongings or blessings of others, indeed this is even considered idolatry (Col 3:5).  God is our provider and we are to relate to one another not in competition but in brotherhood (Rom 12:10).
    v18-21.  Fear and trembling.  The response of the people was fear and this was not unintentional.  They decide that they do not so much want to hear God’s voice anymore.  Moses does a great job of unweaving (maybe) the difficult concept of fearing the Lord by telling them basically, “Don’t fear…God intends you to fear him for your own good.  He is merely testing you to ensure you understand his holiness.”  Understanding our sinfulness before a holy God is a necessary part of the gospel.  It has been said “the good news will never be seen as good until the bad news is first understood.”  Thus, the bad news is good for us (Luke 7:47; Gal 3:22)! 
    v22-26.  How to worship.  Now with an understanding of the separation between us and God we are rightly motivated and ripe for education in proper worship.  Here God outlines some basic concepts that will later be expanded.  He intends that we acknowledge him and remember him and thank him and in all of this we honor him (Rom 1:21, 28; Rev 4:9ff; Heb 13:15). 

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    The law seems to have two main parts- one is about how we relate to God, known as table one (Mark 12:29-30), and the second is about how we relate to one another, known as table two (Mark 12:31).  I take the main meaning in the chapter to be that God is holy and has an expectation of us as his creatures.  The expectation is that we relate to him according to his holiness and that we relate to one another according to our value to God and all of this is to the praise of his glory.  Another meaning I find is that this is impossible without relying on God’s merciful and divine provision for meeting his expectation… in Christ.  The law cannot be rightly understood apart from the mercy of God in his promised offspring (Rom 10:2-4).  The implication is that there is no room for a legalistic merit system but only a dependence upon Jesus.  The significance for my life is that I must rely on Jesus to be the source of my keeping of the statutes of God in the giving go honor and thanks unto him and in the loving of others as myself.  I must find these things in the pursuit of Jesus as it is my union with him and my abiding in him that will bring transformation in my heart and mind.  I cannot rely on an external system of weights and measures but I must fall down in acceptance of mercy.

Valuing the message:
This message is valuable because it is easy to think that you either have no expectations of me or that if you do that I can manage them myself.  This message is a reminder that you have crazy high expectations but that you grant the very thing you require in Jesus.

Reflecting on the message:
Let me have a proper fear of your holiness Lord and let me seek you hotly that I might be found not with a righteousness of my own that is weak and pale and dirty but that I would be found with the very righteousness of Christ.  I must consider how much I am loving God and loving others from a place of proving myself versus relying upon Jesus to accomplish this in me.

Questions to ask:

1. Do I see a holy fear of God motivating me to lean on Jesus?
2. Do I rely on my own strength to walk in the ways of the Lord or do I meet with Jesus regularly in the quiet of the day and seek his filling and provision?
3. Do I abide in Christ and seek to kill sin by the Holy Spirit or do I tolerate incompatible sin in my life?  Do I ignore the smoke and lighting and thunder? Do I hear it?

Responding to God & Reacting to His Lesson:
Tell God about your observations and your thoughts and your struggles with the chapter and determine how it will change or impact your thinking and your decisions.  Be sure to react in some way to the truth rather than remain silent.

Proclaiming the Truth to Others:
Decide who you can share what you have learned with and ask for God’s help in reaching out to love others.

Luke 23

Later maybe...

Soli Deo Gloria!