Ch. 19-20

19:1-6

19:7-15

19:16-25

20:1-17

20:18-26

Recap

A. Find Out:

1. Where did Israel camp? v.1,2

2. Where did Moses meet with God? v.3

3. Of what does God remind them first? v.4

4. What does He want them to do? v.5a

5. What will they be to Him? v.5b

6. What will be their role? v.6

B. Think :

1. Moses went up the mountain to God. What sort of picture of God does

    that give?

2. How does what happened in the past encourage us for what is required

     for the future here?

3. What does the threefold description of Israel 's future say about the

     relationship the Lord wants with them?

C. Comment :

     This is a key point in Israel 's history. They had been brought out of Egypt and now, before they are taken into the land, they are being established as a nation by God. The Lord has led them to this mountain whose geographical location is not made clear, presumably somewhere on the Sinai peninsula . There Moses goes up the mountain, presumably at God's calling, to meet with God. There is immediately, a sense that God is high and lofty, distinct and separate from the affairs of the people. He does not go down to the camp, Moses has to go up to Him. Again and again in the Bible, comes the sense that God is holy, utterly distinct, perfect and unlike anything else in His creation.

     Then He tells Moses to remind the people what He has done for them, and then He promises them the privilege of being a special, distinct, separated (holy) people. A "treasured possession" indicates they will be special on the Lord's heart, He feels about them. A kingdom of priests indicates they have the role of bringing people to Him, the rest of the world, although they didn't realise that yet!

D. Application?

1. Read 1 Peter 2:9 for a description of the church.

2. Read Acts 20:28c We must be very precious to Him!

Chapter: Exodus 19

Passage: Exodus 19:7-15

A. Find Out:    

1. What did Moses first do? v.7

2. How did the people respond? v.8

3. Why did the Lord say He would speak out loud through a cloud? v.9

4. What was Moses to tell the people to do? v.10

5. Why? v.11

6. What were they not to do? v.12

B. Think :

1. How are the people seen here to be wanting to co-operate with God's

     plans and purposes?

2. How does the Lord show care for Moses and understands the people?

3. What impression of the Lord will the Israelites will be getting?

C. Comment :

     Moses comes back with God's message, the Lord wants them to be a special people, a treasured people IF they will obey Him and follow all He says. When Moses presents this to the people they agree to follow the Lord. It is THEIR choice! So far they have seen the Lord treat them gently when they have grumbled, but responsibility is coming with revelation.

      Then the Lord starts to tell Moses how He will come down in such a way that the people will be able to see some sign of His presence and hear His voice. He knows that the people need that encouragement if they are to follow Moses whole-heartedly.

      Finally the Lord instructs on: a) the way the people are to PREPARE to meet Him and b) they are to KEEP SEPARATE from Him. There is a sense being conveyed that the Lord is HOLY and holiness has an element of PURITY and an element of SEPARATENESS in it. This is the sort of God with whom they have to deal, a God who is Holy, pure and unlike any other being or god in their knowledge.

D. Application?

1. Although we know the Lord as "Father" do we also "hallow" His name

    (Matthew 6:9)?

2. The closer we come to the Lord the more we realise the wonder of who

     He is.

Chapter: Exodus 19 

Passage: Exodus 19:16-25    

A. Find Out:

1. What 4 signs indicated something special was happening? v.16

2. To where did Moses lead the people? v.17

3. What happened on the mountain? v.18

4. What was heard? v.19

5. Where did the Lord meet with Moses? v.20

6. What command did the Lord repeat? v.21

7. Who did the Lord tell Moses to bring up the mountain? v.24

B. Think :

1. What sort of feeling, do you think, would have been created by the

     various  sights and sounds?

2. What did the Lord almost fear would happen?

3. What does the reference to "priests" tell us about Israel ?

C. Comment :

      With the arrival of the third day of preparing to meet the Lord, the mountain appears to be covered with what might be described as a great storm, with cloud, thunder and lightning. However there was also a loud trumpet blast and then smoke and earth shaking. Whatever the physical causes the Lord might have used, the effect was the same - awesome! Not only that, the voice of God calls Moses up the mountain while the people remain at the foot of it. On the mountain the Lord reiterates His command, that the people are to stay at a distance. In the way He says it, it is almost as if He knows that the people would be destroyed by His presence. Again there is something awesome about the presence of God in this.

     The reference to priests indicates there must have already been some structured "religious activity", perhaps taken into Israel from Egypt . What is happening therefore, is that they are about to be a people transformed from man originated religion to a nation with God revelation.

D. Application?

1. Do we make up a religious ritualistic religion or do we rely entirely on the

     revelation of God.

2. The Lord's presence is awesome!

Chapter: Exodus 20

Passage: Exodus 20:1-17    

A. Find Out:

1. How did the Lord identify Himself? v.2

2. In the 2nd command how did He identify Himself? v.5

3. How was that seen as good? v.6

4. Why was the 7th day so special? v.11

5. Who was to rest on the 7th day? v.10

6. What promise comes with honouring parents? v.12

B. Think :

1. How are these commandments about Israel 's relationship with God?

2. How is the 5th command so crucial in God's eyes?

3. How would you summarise the last 5 commands?

C. Comment :

      Many people today will say that they believe the ten commandments are a perfect basis for a stable civilised society, but few when questioned realise that the first four are all about a relationship with the Lord.

      In the first four our attitude towards God is challenged: do we ensure we have no rival to God, that we set up no alternative to God, that we respect and remember Him and honour Him as Lord of creation. The fifth commandment was the first command with a promise (see Ephesians 6:2,3) emphasising God's regard for the most basic building block of human relations, child to parent. What that fails, society fails.

     The last five commands establish our behaviour in a society. The rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16 -19) was told by Jesus to keep these commands and Jesus later summarised them all as two simple instructions (Matthew 22:36 -40), "Love God and love your neighbour as yourself". As we walk daily in the Spirit (Romans 8:4) we will be fulfilling the law. We build ON these foundation stones, we don't keep digging them up to check them, for that just brings failure and despair (Romans 7:15 -24), but they ARE the basics that underpin our lives.

D. Application?

1. "Love" with no content is meaningless. If you wonder what "love"

     means, return to these commands.

2. Absence of these suggests a godless and unrighteous society or life.

  

Chapter: Exodus 20

Passage: Exodus 20:18-26

A. Find Out:

1. What was the reaction of the people? v.18

2. What didn't they want to happen? v.19

3. What did Moses say God had done? v.20

4. What did the Lord tell them not to do? v.23

5. What were they to do? v.24

6. How long were they not to do it? v.25

B. Think :

1. What impression had Israel received of the Lord?

2. How had God tested them?

3. How did the Lord say they could express their worship?

 

C. Comment :

     Having heard and seen signs of the Lord's presence on the mountain, the people are fearful and are quite sure in their minds that they want to keep the Lord at a distance. He appears a mighty and a powerful and fearful God and so they obey His instructions and stay at a distance. The Lord has succeeded in creating a sense of respect for Himself in them. Then the Lord directs Moses to reiterate to the people that they are not to make idols or anything else as a representation of Him but, knowing they need some expression of worship, they should offer sacrifices rather than bow down to images. Sacrifices mean giving up something to God, making an effort to present something to Him. It requires much greater effort to bring a sacrifice than bow before an image.

     The Lord also gives instruction about the sort of altar they are to create on which to sacrifice. First it should preferably be earth i.e. of simple unadorned construction. If it was of stone it was to be just piled rough stones, none of which had been worked upon. The Lord wanted any construction of the altar to be simple so that the people would not start making a big thing of it and concentrate more on the ritual than the simple act of worship.

D. Application?

1. "Dress up" our worship or is it that simple offering of the heart?

2. Worship must be in spirit & in truth (John 4:24 )

RECAP - "Meeting God at Sinai" -   Exodus Chapter 19 - 20

SUMMARY :  

In these 5 studies we have seen:

- Israel arriving at Sinai

- The Lord saying He chooses them as a special people

- Israel preparing to meet the Lord

- The Lord coming down in what appears a storm

- The Lord giving the Ten Commandments

- The people fearful of this God

- The Lord instructing them of not making idols and how to make an altar on

   which to sacrifice 

COMMENT :

     At Sinai the Lord communicates with Moses and thus with the people. They are His chosen possession, but they must remember He is a holy God and they must keep at a distance lest they be destroyed. The Lord's arrival and the Lord's instructions both create a sense of His holiness which makes the Israelites stand in awe of Him. This is a sombre and serious part of Scripture.

LESSONS :

1. We are precious to God as His people

2. He is both "Father" and a holy God to us

3. His presence is awesome

4. The basic commands He gives are perfect for any Society and are summarised by

     "Love God and others"

5. Our worship is to be simple, in spirit and in truth.

PRAY :

      Honour the Lord as the One who is totally unlike any other, and yet who has made it possible for us to call Him "Father".

PART 4 : Failure at Sinai

     In this last Part watch for Moses' reaction to both the failure of the people and the offer of God. Sense something of the holiness of the Lord again. There is amazing failure in this part but that is matched by amazing grace on God's part.