These are the original teaching notes from this passage.
Review…
- Exodus 19 – In order for God to make Israel His nation – first had to meet with them
- Exodus 20 – the TEN Commandments – the LAW of God for INDIVIDUALS…
- Exodus 21-22 – The LAW of God for a SOCIETY…
- THE JUDGEMENTS – [הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים] – meaning RULES – from the root word for JUDGE…
- They were NOT meant to be enforced by the people – God would give to them JUDGES…
- The purpose of these civil laws was to bring ORDER and SAFETY to the nation of Israel…
- To set them APART from the rest of the world as a just and fair nation – the people of God!
- FIVE different categories – Servants / Violence / Animals / Property / Morals
The Old Covenant… (points)
- 1st – THREE Laws for JUDGES… vs. 1-9
- God continues to tell Israel His LAWS regarding the rules to govern a SOCIETY…
- But the best laws are only as good as the rulers / judges who enforce them…
- God now gives the LAWS to govern the JUDGES who enforce them!
- Proverbs 29:2 – “When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan.”
- 1st – Do not be a false witness… vs. 1
- Do NOT circulate a FALSE report – NEVER [אַל] put your hand in with the wicked…
- This is not dealing so much with telling a lie – as it is a false testimony in court…
- The EXCUSES given to justify the actions of those who are guilty…
- The following have all been used to successfully acquit criminals in court…
- The TWINKIE defense – depression and junk food caused a man to commit murder…
- The sleepwalking defense – violent acts and crimes committed – while asleep…
- The full moon defense – committing a crime under the influence of the full moon!
- When common sense / TRUTH is perverted – there is no longer any justice…
- It should not be a surprise when people make ridiculous EXCUSES for their sin…
- People will say anything to get themselves out of trouble…
- But when the rulers / JUDGES of the people start to listen – justice evaporates!
- 2nd – Do not follow the crowd… vs. 2
- You shall NOT follow the crowd – turn after the crowd – and PERVERT justice…
- One of the quickest ways to pervert justice – is to bend to popular opinion!
- Pilate washed his hands of Jesus INNOCENT blood – Matthew 27:24
- Symbolic – but not true – Pilate was accountable for his actions…
- He chose to please the crowds – rather than do what he knew was right!
- When a RULER has to check opinion polls before stating their decision – a nation is LOST…
- It does not matter what MEN think – only what God SAYS…
- A righteous / fair JUDGE must rule in favor of the TRUTH – no matter what people think!
- 3rd – Do not show partiality – in SIX ways… vs. 3-9
- Do NOT show PARTIALLY to a POOR man… vs. 3
- PARTIALLY – to show HONOR or preference to one person over another!
- A judge was NOT to look at the person – someone is not RIGHT just because they are POOR!
- Leviticus 19:15 – “You shall not be partial to the poor, NOR honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge [EVEN] your neighbor.”
- Be KIND to your ENEMY… vs. 4-5
- If you see the ox / donkey of someone who HATES you – going astray / overburdened…
- The natural inclination is to SMILE – serves him right – and do NOTHING to help…
- Yet when we do – we are standing in JUDGEMENT of our ENEMY!
- Romans 12:19-20 – “Do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written – Vengeance is Mine I will repay – says the Lord. Therefore if your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink…”
- We do NOT have the best JUDGEMENT with people who we would call our ENEMIES…
- Likely as not we will be overly HARSH with our treatment of them…
- Instead – God will be the one to JUDGE – He alone can fairly JUDGE the HEARTS of men…
- He then commands us to LOVE our ENEMIES – hopefully drawing them to Jesus!
- Do NOT pervert the JUSTICE of the POOR… vs. 6
- Often it seems as though finding JUSTICE depends on MONEY…
- The more MONEY you have – the better lawyer you can afford…
- The more MONEY you have – the more influential you friends…
- The JUDGES were not to show preference to the RICH over the POOR!
- James 2:3-4 – “If you give special attention… to the rich person – but you say to the poor… sit on the floor… this discrimination show[s] that your… guided by evil motives…” [NLT]
- It should not matter if someone is RICH or POOR – the TRUTH is still the TRUTH…
- RICH and POOR should be treated as EQUALS when it comes to the LAW!
- Do not condemn the INNOCENT… vs. 7
- NEVER [אַל] kill the INNOCENT of RIGHTEOUS – God will NOT justify the WICKED!
- If there is a crime – people look for justice – someone to blame…
- If the guilty person is powerful or rich – sometimes a PATSY takes the blame!
- Proverbs 17:15 – “The Lord despises those who acquit the guilty – condemn the innocent.”
- Do not accept a bribe… vs. 8
- Do NOT accept a GIFT – it BLINDS the wise / PERVERTS the righteous!
- The Philippines is rated 138 out of 180 countries for the worst corruption…
- On average – in 1 in 4 encounters with police – people are asked for a bribe…
- 100 billion pesos – 13% of the annual GDP – is lost to bribes every year!
- Every new politician runs on the platform of removing corruption – only to be CORRUPTED!
- When people fear being pulled over by the police – because you do NOT have any money…
- When they do NOT trust the JUDGE – because he is willing to take a GIFT…
- When a people or a nation – are allowed to receive BRIBES – there is NO justice!
- Proverbs 17:23 – “The WICKED accept secret bribes to pervert justice.”
- Do NOT oppress a STRANGER… vs. 9
- Because Israel knew the heart of a STRANGER – they were STRANGERS in Egypt!
- The JUDGES were not to show preference to someone they KNEW…
- If you KNOW the right people – giving special FAVOR…
- Justice should be BLIND to who you are – only seeing what you have DONE!
- The image of JUSTICE – woman holding a scale – is blindfolded…
- It does NOT matter – poor man from the mountain / or President of the Philippines!
- God is not a respecter of persons – Acts 10:34 / Romans 2:11
- Pray for the leaders – JUDGES…
- We wonder if there will ever be real JUSTICE – perhaps NOT with men in power…
- But ultimately God will JUDGE – fairly and righteously – the actions of all men…
- Pray for those who are LEADERS – those entrusted with the JUSTICE of the nation…
- Pray they will be righteous God-fearing rulers – who LISTEN to and OBEY God…
- Pray because if they are NOT – they will be held accountable – James 3:1
- 2nd – Sabbaths and feasts… vs. 10-19
- 1st – The SABBATH year… vs. 10-11
- God concludes the FIRST giving of the LAW with SABBATHS and FESTIVALS…
- SIX years you will sow the land – but the SEVENTH year you shall let it REST…
- In the SEVENTH year you could not – plow / plant / weed / or harvest!
- For the 490 years Israel was in the Land – they never did honor the SABBATH year…
- Therefore – God let Israel be captive in Babylon for 70 years – II Chronicles 36:21
- Giving the Land the 70 Sabbaths that Israel had failed to give to it!
- Lesson learned – better to obey and follow the commands of God NOW rather than LATER!
- The WELFARE system of God…
- On the SEVENTH year the poor could harvest – and the animals could eat – whatever grew…
- The SABBATH year was part of how God took care of the poor and needy!
- The point being those who are able – should help out those who are in need!
- Acts 20:35 – “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
- God PROVIDED for the Sabbath year…
- The natural question – what happens to those who can NOT plant / harvest!
- Leviticus 25:20-21 – “What will we eat during the seventh year… I [God] will order my blessing for you in the sixth year, so the land will produce a bumper crop, enough to support you for THREE years.”
- Those who do give / bless the poor who have nothing – through the SABBATH year…
- Will be blessed beyond measure – THREE YEARS food – they will lack for nothing at all!
- Luke 6:38 – “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full… running over… The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”
- When we give to others – we will lose nothing – we will end up far more blessed!
- 2nd – the SABBATH day… vs. 12-13
- SIX days you shall do your work – on the SEVENTH day you shall REST…
- Two reasons to give a REMINDER of the FOURTH command – Exodus 20:8-10
- Give a day of REST to your workers – animals!
- It is easy for us to want to take a REST – but we also need to be considerate of others!
- Do NOT mention the names of other gods…
- Be CIRCUMSPECT (guard against) – make no mention of the names of other gods!
- How do we make sure the names of other gods are not heard on our lips…
- Keeping the SABBATH – a day set aside to remember and spend time with the Lord…
- Church does NOT save us – but I have seen how those who do NOT go to church…
- Tend to talk LESS about God – and more about the other things (gods) that fill their life!
- 3rd – the FEASTS of Israel… vs. 14-17
- THREE times you shall keep a FEAST to Me in the year…
- Pesach – the FEAST of unleavened bread – PASSOVER – Exodus 12:14-20
- Shavuot – the FEAST of harvest – PENTECOST – Leviticus 23:15-22
- Sukkoth – the FEAST of ingathering – TABERNACLES – Leviticus 23:33-44
- Every Jewish man – over the age of 20 – was required to appear before [הָאָדֹן יְהוָֽה]
- The FEASTS both look back to remember an event in Jewish history…
- As well as prophetically look forward to key events in the plan of God for the world!
- SEVEN FEASTS in all – Leviticus 23
- The FEASTS of Israel break up into TWO times of year – the FORMER and LATER rain…
- The annual rains in Israel in spring (later) – then again in the fall (former)
- The SPRING FEASTS looked forward to the FIRST coming of Jesus…
- Passover – Jesus crucified as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world
- Unleavened bread – representing the taking away of sin – ‘leaven’…
- First fruits – the resurrection of Jesus on the FIRST day of the week
- Pentecost – the feast of harvest – the birth of the church – harvest of the world!
- The FALL FEASTS look forward to the SECOND coming of Jesus …
- Rosh Hashanah – the rapture of the church…
- Yom Kippur – the Great White Throne Judgment of Jesus…
- Feast of Tabernacles – the 1000-year reign of Jesus here on earth!
- 4th – FOUR rules for the FEASTS… vs. 18-19
- Do NOT offer the BLOOD – with Unleavened bread…
- The reason why God commanded Israel not to eat the blood – it carries the life!
- The BLOOD was reserved as a picture for forgiveness – pointing to the sacrifice of Jesus!
- The wages of sin is DEATH – Romans 6:23 – but we are forgiven by the BLOOD of Christ!
- Hebrews 9:22 – “Without shedding of blood there is no remission [of sins] …”
- But that is a bit concerning – as blood is a common dish in the Philippines…
- It is NOT what we eat that is a problem – what comes out of our mouth – Matthew 15:11
- The problem is NOT what is in our belly – but what is in our heart – Luke 6:45
- Do NOT let the FAT remain until morning…
- NONE of the PASSOVER lamb was to be left until morning – Exodus 12:10
- Speaking of the FINALITY of the PASSOVER – Jesus died once for ALL sin!
- FIRST FRUITS of the land – bring into the House of the Lord…
- Israel was to be HOLLY – giving the first of their crops / their flocks / their SONS…
- The idea of first fruits speaks of order – giving to the Lord first – Exodus 22:29
- They are now told WHERE to give their GIFTS – the House of the Lord!
- Do NOT boil a goat in its mothers milk…
- Likely the purpose was just compassion – cruel to cook a kid in the milk of its mother…
- To this day Jews will not eat any MILK products with any MEAT products…
- They actually have TWO different kitchens and sets of serving wear – MILK and MEAT…
- Who is to say the MILK product did not come from the mother of the MEAT!
- 1st – The SABBATH year… vs. 10-11
- 3rd – Coming to the Promised Land… vs. 20-33
- 1st – Angel of the Lord… vs. 20-23/27-28
- Having given the LAW to Israel – making them the People of God…
- The Lord is now ready to send them on into the Promised Land – their nation…
- I send the Angel before you – to bring you to the place which I have prepared
- OBEY (imperative) His voice / do NOT let yourself PROVOKE (jussive) Him…
- Because He will NOT pardon your transgressions – for My name is in him!
- Who was this ANGEL with the name of God – Jesus – I Corinthians 10:9-10
- Israel did PROVOKE the ANGEL – Israel complained about the manna – not content…
- God sent deadly snakes among the people – and many of them died – Numbers 21
- IF Israel had OBEYED His voice – and did ALL that He SAID…
- God would be an enemy to ALL of their enemies – and CUT them off…
- God would send the FEAR of Israel before they ever even arrived – so they turned and RAN…
- God would even go so far as to use HORNETS to fight for Israel!
- Even today – after winning SEVEN wars – Arabs fear Israel as an undefeatable army!
- In the 1967 – SIX Day War – Israel was outnumbered TEN to ONE…
- The FIVE attacking Arab nations easily outgunned Israel in tanks and soldiers…
- There is one story where honeybees – attacked a column of Egyptian tanks…
- Driving them out of their tanks so that Israel could come and confiscate them!
- Romans 8:31 – “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
- 2nd – Blessing from the Lord… vs. 24-26
- Do NOT bow down or serve the gods of the Canaanites…
- To be FORCED to bow down (hishtaphel) – or MADE to SERVE (hophal) them!
- How was Israel to keep from being FORCED to bow down and SERVE other gods…
- By completely OVERTHROWING (piel) them – breaking down their idols!
- FOUR Blessing from the Lord…
- As you SERVE (sequential) the Lord – because you OVERTHREW the idols of the land…
- He will BLESS you with bread and water – give DAILY necessities…
- He will take away your SICKNESS – heal you of ANY disease…
- You will not have MISCARRIAGES or barren – blessed with LOTS of kids – Psalm 127:3
- He would fulfill the NUMBER of your days – give a LONG life!
- Are we worried about the things we NEED – afraid of being SICK…
- Rushing around – busy – no time to spare – no time to SERVE the Lord…
- We are worried and troubled – BECAUSE we did not find time for Jesus!
- Luke 12:31 – “Seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.”
- 3rd – Little by little… vs. 29-33
- I will NOT drive them out before you in ONE year…
- God would give them the Land promised to Abraham – Genesis 15:18-21
- From Red Sea (south) – to Sea of Philistia /Mediterranean (north) …
- From to the desert / Euphrates river (east) – to the Nile River (west) …
- But if God wiped out ALL the people at once – there would not be enough Jews to fill it…
- Therefore – He would not give it to them all at once – just a little at a time!
- Often when we think about following the Lord – we see it as a sprint…
- We measure our walk in terms of hours – maybe days…
- Yet what we find the journey is more often a marathon – it takes a lot of time…
- Like the journey from a child to a mature adult – it takes years…
- The process of following the Lord takes time – time to grow and learn…
- But as we keep our eyes on Jesus – we will find we end up right where He want us!
- BUT – make NO covenant with the nations you go to conquer…
- Lest they make you sin against Me – their gods will be a SNARE to you…
- But Israel did make a covenant with the Gibeonites – Joshua 9
- As a RESULT – the ANGEL of the Lord came to Israel – Judges 2:1-3
- And told them NOW – the nations around you WILL be a SNARE to you!
- A bottle of liquor in a corner – not that we ever intend to drink it…
- Or the cell phone number of the person – not that we would ever text them…
- In a moment of weakness – it can be SNARE that takes us back into SIN!
- It is easy to talk about following Jesus – something very different to really obey Him…
- We become the people of God – when we walk after and obey Jesus!
- 1st – Angel of the Lord… vs. 20-23/27-28
- 4th – Sealing the Covenant… vs. 1-8
- 1st – Who had access to God… vs. 1-2
- Having completed the FIRST giving of the Law – God called Moses and the leaders to come up…
- The children of Israel could not approach God – could not even touch the mountain…
- God is so holy – so perfect – unholy sinners have NO access to Him!
- The priests Aaron / Nadab and Abihu / the SEVENTY elders of Israel…
- Could get a little closer – but they still had to worship from AFAR…
- If we are trusting in men to help us get closer to God – we are in trouble…
- Sinful men – no matter how GOOD – are still not GOOD are enough to approach God!
- Moses who ALONE shall come NEAR…
- He was allowed to go up the mountain and meet with God…
- He was the mediator for Israel – God spoke to him – he spoke to the people…
- Moses is a picture of Jesus Christ – the bridge from sinful man to God – I Timothy 2:5
- There is no other way to be able to approach God – than through Jesus…
- It is only through Him we have complete access – to our HOLY and PERFECT God!
- 2nd – Responding to the LAW… vs. 3
- BEFORE going up – Moses told the people all the WORDS of the Lord – Exodus 20-23
- They answered – ALL the WORD the Lord has said – we will CONTINUALLY do (imperfect) …
- That was the right answer – but it was not the TRUTH – the people quickly rebelled…
- Just FORTY days later they would make a GOLDEN CALF – Exodus 32
- The reason – they were giving an emotional response to Moses…
- The fire / the booming voice of God / the whole scene must have been mesmerizing!
- But an EMOTIONAL response – is not the same as a CHANGED heart…
- The people were still sinners – the Law of God had NOT changed who they were!
- It is EASY to have an emotional response to God – caught up in the moment…
- An EMOTIONAL response that says we want to obey the Lord – but the MOMENT passes…
- God is not after EMOTIONAL responses – He is looking for CHANGED lives!
- 3rd – Sealed in Blood… vs. 4-8
- Moses wrote down all of the WORDS of the Lord …
- He then set up an alter at the foot of the mountain – with 12 pillars (one for each tribe)
- He then offered sacrifices there – half the BLOOD he splashed against the alter…
- He then read the book of the Law to the people – AGAIN – they agreed to obey!
- Moses splashed the other half of the BLOOD on the people – sealing the covenant!
- The LAW sealed in BLOOD…
- Hebrews 9:22 – “We can say that according to the Law of Moses, nearly everything was purified by sprinkling with blood. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.” [NLT]
- Because the penalty for sin is death – Romans 6:23
- Either we have to die for our sins – or someone has to die in our place…
- Under the Law – every time you sinned – an animal had to die to pay your penalty…
- But there was a problem with the Old Covenant….
- Hebrews 10:4 – “It is NOT possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”
- The Law of God – the sacrifices of the animals – could only REMIND us of our sin…
- There was NO power under the Law to CHANGE our hearts – make us NOT want to sin!
- The New Covenant was also sealed in blood and water…
- At the crucifixion – a soldier pierced Jesus side with a spear – blood and water – John 19:34
- Just as Moses sealed the Old – Jesus sealed a new and BETTER covenant – with His blood!
- Hebrews 10:1/12 – “The OLD system under the law of Moses was only a SHADOW, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were NEVER able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship… But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for ALL time.” [NLT]
- Jesus came to pay the price for sin – not just covering one sin- but taking away all sin!
- And He also CHANGES our heart – so we no longer want to continue in sin!
- Romans 6:14 – “Sin shall not have dominion… for you are not under LAW but under GRACE.”
- 1st – Who had access to God… vs. 1-2
- 5th – Meeting with God… vs. 9-18
- 1st – At the FEET of God… vs. 9-11
- Moses / Aaron with his two sons / the elders of Israel went up the mountain…
- They saw God – under His FEET appeared to be SAPPHIRE – as clear as the sky…
- What exactly did they SEE – since no man can SEE God and live – Exodus 33:20
- It would appear they only saw the FEET of God standing on the mountain – why FEET!
- Isaiah 52:7 – “How beautiful on the MOUNTAINS are the FEET of those who bring good news of peace and salvation…”
- The idea of FEET – movement – God came from heaven to meet with Israel….
- And the FEET of God were beautiful – because of the message they brought…
- God did not come to DESTROY them – instead He came to share a MEAL together…
- God was not there to JUDGE men for their sins – He wanted a RELATIONSHIP with them!
- Just as God came to give us the message of salvation – He also calls us to go…
- Romans 10 – “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?”
- How can people believe – be saved – if we are not out there sharing the Gospel…
- We know LOTS of people who do not believe in Jesus – what are we doing about it
- We are called to GO – into our workplace / our families / our back yards…
- And tell people about Jesus – give them the message of salvation…
- Blessed are our FEET when we bring others the message of salvation!
- 2nd – Into the presence of God… vs. 12-18
- The Lord told Moses – come up (imperative) – so I can give you the tablets of stone…
- Moses and Joshua went up the mountain to meet with God…
- SECOND time we read of Joshua – FIRST was the battle with the Amalekites – Exodus 17:9
- Now we see him FOLLOWING Moses – right into the presence of God!
- We need to be very careful whom we choose spend time with – who we are influenced by…
- We all follow the example of someone – leading us either towards or away from God…
- Like Joshua following Moses – we should look for those who lead us to Jesus!
- I Corinthians 11:1 – “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”
- If any MAN [בַעַל] had problems – Aaron and Hur stayed behind…
- This is also the SECOND time we read about Hur – FIRST time was with the Amalekites…
- Aaron and Hur had lifted up Moses arms in the battle – helped bring victory…
- I am sure Moses thought they would do a GOOD job of watching after Israel…
- But the decision to leave them turned out NOT to be a good one…
- Aaron would be swayed by peer pressure – to make a GOLDEN CALF for Israel to worship!
- The glory of the Lord [כְּבוֹד יְהוָה] descended as a cloud on the mountain…
- For SIX days Moses waited – on the SEVENTH day God called out to Moses…
- Moses went up higher into the mountain – and disappeared into the cloud…
- To the Israelites – it looked as though Moses entered a consuming fire!
- There are a lot of Christians who BELIEVE in Jesus – but do NOT want to give it all to God…
- God does NOT ask for a part of our lives – He wants ALL of us…
- God wants every moment of our lives to be CONSUMED by Him!
- Hebrews 12:29 – “For our God is a consuming fire.”
- Moses was FORTY days and FORTY nights in the mountain with God…
- It would be here God would give Moses the instructions for the Tabernacle of God…
- The place where God would meet with His people – His footstool on earth!
- But it is also interesting that it took FORTY days…
- The number FORTY in the Bible is a number that relates to trials or testing…
- Noah – rained 40 days & 40 nights / Jesus – 40 days & 40 nights in the wilderness…
- These FORTY days Moses on the mountain were a test – for Israel!
- 1st – At the FEET of God… vs. 9-11