Exodus 19; Luke 22
Daily Catechism
QUESTION 43: WHAT SHALL BE DONE TO THE WICKED AT DEATH?
Answer: The souls of the wicked shall at death, be cast into the torments of hell, and their bodies lie in their graves till the resurrection and judgment of the great day.
Scripture: Luke 16:22-4; Daniel 12:2; John 5:29; Revelation 20:11- 15.
Exodus 19
Ready:In the previous chapter Moses received some good advice from his father-in-law and he delegated responsibility for judging and he set heads over the people to deal with most matters.
Seeing what’s there:
So about 7 weeks after they left Egypt the nation of Israel is at Mount Sinai encountering God. There is a period of preparation where Moses instructs them to consecrate themselves or “set apart as holy” and this involves cleaning of their clothes and remaining sexually abstinent for a time. The Lord gives Israel a prologue to the coming revelation of the law by referring explicitly to his deliverance from Egypt, which he accomplished for the people by his mighty hand and he tells them that they will need to obey his voice and keep his covenant if they want to be his treasured possession. This is actually a huge transition point in redemptive history because until this point there was no law or requirements upon the Jews except for circumcision and the recent addition of celebrating the passover. What is about to happen in the next chapter is going to change everything and will become the very thing that they get sideways on…the law. They are not to come up the mountain once Moses goes up lest they be killed and the mountain becomes surrounded with dense smoke and seems to be on fire and is trembling. God’s presence is very obvious in this scenario. Moses and God dialogue about the issue of Israel’s compliance with his instructions before the Lord gets into delivering to Moses the law.
Key Verses:
Exodus 19:4, 5-6, 8, 10-11, 16, 18, 20
Theme:
A covenant is coming that will serve to guard and to guide the people of God to the coming offspring, but they must ultimately rely upon the mercy of God and not upon their ability to keep this law, which in no way replaces the promise to Abraham…but leads to the fulfillment of the promise.
Thinking about the message:
v1-6. Here the Lord tells Moses that he needs to get the people to agree that they will listen to his voice and that they will keep his covenant and that they will in so-doing be the treasured possession and the kingdom and the holy nation that he had promised to Abraham (Gen 12:2, 17:5-8). This is actually a bit of an addition or clarification to what had been promised thus far in the addition of “holy” and “priests” and it seems now suggested that Israel will not only be a great nation but that they will be set apart in more than circumcision and that they will be to the world a priesthood or a connection to God. Indeed they will be since salvation is from the Jews (John 4:22). God begins this important episode of delivering the law with this reminder that he is merciful and that he accomplishes their deliverance and that he bore them up when they had lacking faith and he accomplished what they didn’t see as possible. He then says “now therefore…” and goes into the bit about them obeying and keeping the covenant, which he would explain to Moses on the mountain. The law (covenant) that he is about to deliver would not be a replacement of the covenant with Abraham, but it would be a guardian until Christ comes (Gal 3:17-18, 24-25). Note that in verses 5-6 he uses more than twice as many words describing the outcome as he does their obedience…the focus is on what God is doing, not what they will do. But the people, other than a remnant, would become ensnared and would rely on this law by works instead of by faith (Rom 9:21-32) that he would be merciful and provide a deliverance from under the law (Rom 6:14, 7:4, 6; Gal 3:22) as he did from under Egypt (the reason for the prologue is that they would realize this reliance upon him and not upon their ability to keep the law). The law will end up exposing their sin and teaching them about the holiness of God (Rom 3:19-20).
v7-15. Here Moses goes back and forth between God and the people and communicates instructions for their preparation and he gains their commitment to do what God is going to ask of them. They will indeed consecrate themselves and prepare for the third day when the Lord appears upon the mountain. Per the Lord’s instructions, Moses tells the people that when he goes up the mountain they are not to follow but are to keep a certain distance at the penalty of death.
v16-25. Here the Lord descends upon the mountain and he calls Moses up to meet him. Moses brings the people out of the camp and to the foot of the mountain (keeping back the required distance) to witness what happens there. After Moses ascends the Lord tells him to go back and warn them again about keeping back so that many of them do not die. This seems to be a clarification that they ill perish at God’s hand if not at their own for not keeping the set limits. Moses seems confident that the previous instructions would be followed and that there is no need to repeat it, but in the end he concedes as the Lord tells him to do it and also to bring Aaron up with him. A reference here to priest is interesting because there has been no establishment of a priesthood yet, but it may be that the first-born are presumed to be priests among the tribes as was common in all nations.
Meaning, Implications, and Significance
I hear a message here that God is looking to warn Israel that what he is about to give is massive and holy and can only be accomplished by relying on him to bear them up like he did in the Exodus from Egypt. Nothing in this account so far says to me “this is doable…you guys can just follow these steps and we are good”. No, I see smoke and fire and lightning and thunder and warnings of death and holiness that will annihilate them. The Christian will walk uprightly before God only as he relies on Jesus and seeks him and not by will-power and self-determination. The implication for today is that we cannot meet the requirements of the law apart from the one who fulfills the law in us (Rom 8:3-4) and to think otherwise is to remain under the wrath of God (John 3:36). Yet, God expects us to uphold the law in Christ (Rom 3:31). The significance for my life is that I am to walk humbly before God (Micah 6:8) and to rely on Christ as my righteousness (Phil 3:9), not my own pitiful efforts. I am to fall on his mercy (1 John 1:9) and I am to recognize my need for him daily (Luke 9:23) and I am to rely on the one who gave himself for me (Titus 2:4). There is no room for self-righteousness when the law is not the source of righteousness (Rom 3:21-22, 4:13; Gal 2:21, 3:11, 21-22).
Valuing the message:
This message is valuable be cause it can help me from becoming self-righteous and thinking that my following of God’s law and the expectations of the Christian culture are the things that make me right with God. Where I find victory and success in progressing in holiness it can only be due to God bearing me up (Ex 19:4).
Reflecting on the message:
I need to consider my heart and whether I am understanding the law and righteousness properly.
Questions to ask:
- Do I behave and think as if true righteousness were based on my keeping of the law?
- How does this differ with the law being upheld and fulfilled in me by Christ?
- By killing sin in my life, do I think that I am establishing a righteousness before God or am I already justified (deemed righteous by God)?
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 22
Maybe later...Soli Deo Gloria!
