Exodus 19-24
Shock and Awe
Manuscript
On the 21st of March, 2003, the United States and its Allies began their main bombing campaign at the beginning of the Iraq War. Over 8 years later, we are still fighting in Iraq – but today’s fight in Iraq is very different to those first few days back in ‘03. Who remembers that bombing campaign? Day after day of relentless bombing of strategic targets in Iraq. There was a term that the Americans had for that type of relentless bombing, a term that the media latched onto – remember what it was? Shock and Awe. Shock and Awe. The theory was that the Americans would so shock and awe the Iraqis that they would soon surrender and welcome the Americans with open arms. And indeed – as we had the war brought to our TV screens with 24 hours new coverage- it really was an awesome display of firepower. Bombs lighting up the night sky of Baghdad. Their infrastructure taken out. It certainly was awe-inspiring. Today we are going to look at another account of shock and awe. But this one took place well over 3000 years ago. It took place on a mountain in a desert, and if you’d been there – in terms of shock and awe value - it would have made the American bombing campaign in Iraq look like someone trying to light a match in the rain.
So – where are we? Last time we looked at Exodus – a fortnight ago we looked at the actual exodus of Israel from Egypt. We looked at the Pass Over, how God had to deliver His terrible judgements on Egypt in order to force their hand so they would let Israel go, and how God gave the Israelites a sign - the blood of sacrificed lamb which they placed on their doorframes, as a sign that they were spared from that judgement. Then God led them out of Egypt, through the Red Sea and then through the Sinai desert - an absolutely barren desert. And as we read in Exodus 19.2-3:
Exodus 192 They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain, 3 while Moses went up to God.
They camped at the foot of this mountain. Now, we don’t know exactly which mountain it was because mountains don’t have name signs on them, but tradition tells us that it was this mountain here now known as Jebel Musa – Arabic for the “mountain of Moses,” and also known to us a “Mt Sinai”. Even if it wasn’t this exact mountain, it would have been at one in this area that looked similar to it. And some very signficant things happened at the foot of this mountain an on this mountain. The Israelites camped there for almost a year and during that time, they met with God. Or better said, God met with them. God revealed to them many of His laws. And in fact, the rest of the book of Exodus, all the book of Leviticus and the first 9 chapters of Numbers were written there. It’s not till we get to Numbers chapter 10 that the Israelites leave Mt Sinai. And so it’s in Exodus 19 that they arrive at Mt Sinai and God makes a covenant with Israel. We read:
Exodus 19:3b The Lord called to him [Moses] out of the mountain, saying, Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: 4 You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.
So – God had delivered Israel from Egypt, and now He offers them a covenant – an agreement - that if they choose to keep then Israel will be God’s special people. And then we read in verse 8:
Exodus 198 All the people answered together and said, All that the Lord has spoken we will do.
And then God told Moses that He would come to the Israelites on the mountain when it says:
Exodus 19:11b For on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 12 And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death.
Wow – God’s coming – and be careful! Look at that – if anyone gets too close – they will be put to death! Let’s read what happened then on the third day when God appeared:
Exodus 1916 On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. 17 Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. 19 And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. 20 The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
21 And the Lord said to Moses, Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the Lord to look and many of them perish. 22 Also let the priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, lest the Lord break out against them.
Talk about Shock and Awe! This wasn’t just some fireworks show. The mountain trembled. God answered in thunder. The people weren’t just afraid, ut they were terrified! They were scared out of their wits as we read in
Exodus 2018 Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off 19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.”
Last time we were in Exodus we talked about the teddy bear idea of God that many people have. We pray for God’s presence, and here we see on Mt Sinai what God’s presence is like! It is terrifying! It is so awe inspiring that the people rightly tell Moses to speak to God on their behalf otherwise they will die! And so Moses goes up to the mountain and there on the mountain God speaks to Moses and gives him the conditions of the covenant that He is making with Israel. And the first part of that covenant is very famous for most of us. We know it as the 10 Commandments. We probably don’t need to go through the 10 Commandments because most of you already know them so well. But if you don’t – make sure you read them – they’re in chatper 20. But of course, the 10 commandments weren’t the only laws that God gave Israel. In fact, the rest of Exodus, most of Leviticus, a lot of Numbers and a lot of Deuteronomy contain the law that God gave to Israel at Mt Sinai. There’s a lot of rules in this Law.
So let’s take a very brief overview of the particular laws that in the chapters we are covering today. Firstly of course, the 10 Commandments in chapter 20. As many have noticed, the first few commandments concentrate on our relationship to God- not worshipping any other gods besides the One True God, not making idols or worshipping them, not taking the Lord’s name in vain – that is, blaspheming, and keeping the Sabbath holy. Then we have commands that relate to our relationships with each other. Honouring our parents. Not murdering. Not committing adultery. Not stealilng. Not bearing false witness. Not coveting other people’s things. And I guess a big question that many of us might have is, do these commandments apply to us today? Well before we get to that question, we need to realise that the 10 Commandments are not the only commandments that God gave on Mt Sinai! There’s a tendency to say that the 10 Commandments still apply to us Christians today, but the other commandments in Exodus might not necessarily apply! But there’s nothing anywhere in the Bible that says that the 10 Commandments are somehow more applicable to Christiasn than the other commandments – they are all commandments from God!
So let’s have a look at some of those other commandments before we go back to that question. In chapters 21-23, God gives Israel a number of laws. In chapter 21 there are some laws about punishments for killing or harming people, as well as about how to treat slaves. Hmmm… when we read some of those commandments – they can seem a bit odd to us, and sometimes a bit harsh too. However – we need to read those laws in their context. Back in those times, if you owned a slave, that slave was your property. You could do whatever you liked with your slave – including killing him or her. So when we read these laws about slaves, they actually protect the slave! They give the slave value as a human being made in God’s image. For example – if a person hits his slave so that the slave loses their eye or their tooth, then he has to let the slave go free. There’s also laws that protect pregnant women and their unborn children. And there’s also laws that govern what to do if one of your animals kills someone - if someone knew that their animal was dangerous, and didn’t do anything about it and then that animal killed someone, then the owner of the animal is responsible, but if they animal wasn’t dangerous and killed someone – then they weren’t responsible. Basically, these laws stressed the value of human life – which is made in God’s image. And stressed that we are responsible towards our fellow human beings. It’s not enough just not to murder someone, but it’s also our responsibility to do what we can to protect our fellow man.
Chapter 22 has a lot of laws about protecting the property of people, particularly that sort of property – like animals, fields and so on - which people relied on for their living, to feed themselves and their families. The end of chapters 22 and 23 contains various other laws too which hopefully you’ve read through as you’ve been reading through Exodus in preparation for the Exodus series. I can’t go through them all now, but if you have any questions about any of them, please come and talk to me.
But perhaps some of particular interest are concern for the outcasts in society. In Exodus 22:21, Israel is told to look after strangers in their midst, and to remember that not so long ago they were strangers in Egypt. As we know, immigrants, people who are different, often find it difficult to fit in and often get overlooked or discrimated against. Following that there are laws that protect other people who tend to get left out - widows, orphans – as well as the poor generally. And God means it when He tells us to look after the outcast – look at Exod 22:22-24:
Exodus 2222 You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. 23 If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry, 24 and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.
Wow- shock and awe! And then at in the middle of chapter 23 there are laws about the Sabbath day, as well as the Sabbath year - that is – every seventh year the Isrealites were not to plant their fields, so that the fields could rest and the poor could eat. And in Exodus 23:14-17 God also gave the Israelites the three main feasts – or festivals – of the year. Each feast was at the harvest time for a particular crop, but as well as celebrating the harvest which was from God, each feast had its own significance too.
1) Exod 23.15: Passover / Feast of Unleavened Bread 7 days, commemorating the Exodus and especially the Pass Over, which was fulfilled, as we talked about last time
at the Last Supper.
2) Exod 23:16 Pentecost / Feast of Weeks. A harvest / first fruits feast, 50 days after Passover. And it was on the feast of Pentecost nearly 2000 years ago that the Holy Spirit was poured out in Acts 2 and the church was born.
3) Exod 23:26 Feast of Tabernacles (Booths) / Weeks. 7 days. To remember the journey in the wilderness. Held in Sep/Oct to celebrate grape harvest.
Then in the last part of chapter 23 God promises that He will give them the land of Canaan – which is roughly where the modern country of Israel is, and gave them a strict warning in 23:24:
Exodus 2324 you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces.
So these were the initial conditions of the covenant of Israel. God had chosen Israel to be His people. God delivered them from Egypt. God had promised them their own land – a lush, fruitful and productive land. And He promised to be with them, to be their God. But part of the covenant was that God gave them a way to live - behaviour, commands. Not just for the fun of it, but so that the Israelites would be like Him, Loving God, and loving their neighbours. And then in chatper 24, it says:
Exodus 243 Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.”
Moses told the Israelites the rules, and they accepted. And then God confirms the covenant with the people of Israel. And the covenant is confirmed by the sacrifice of animals. It says:
Exod 245 And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD. 6 And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” 8 And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
We can see that in the Old Testament, when a covenant – an agreement – was made, that blood was shed to signify that. A covenant between the awe inspiring God and sinful people. And before we go any further, I want to take you back to Exodus 20:18. Remember the reaction of the people when they saw the glory of God?
Exodus 2018 Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off 19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.”
They were terrified. And then Moses answers them and says:
Exodus 2020 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.”
That’s interesting isn’t it? Moses says – do not fear, and then says that the fear of God may be before them so they don’t sin! So – don’t fear – but fear! What does it mean? Well – firstly we need to have the right concept of what the fear of the Lord is. Unfortunately, many people today say that when the Bible talks about the “fear of the Lord,” that it is saying no more than respect for God. They say it just means that we need to respect God, but that it doesn’t mean we should actually fear God. But that is not what the Hebrew word means – the Hebrew word that is translated in our English Bibles as fear – well it means “fear”!!! And look at the people of Israel.They didn’t see fear as just some form of healthy respect. They were scared out of their wits! Friends, the presence of God is an awesome fearsome thing. When the Holy God of the universe meets sinful man, it is a fearsome thing. And one day we will all have to meet our maker, and unless you have a mediator between you and God, it will be a terrifying thing. But that’s the thing – Moses acts as a mediator for the Israelites. Moses stood between God and the sinful Israelites, and God makes a covenant with Israel through Moses. So that if they keep this covenant, they don’t need to be afraid.
Now of course, all this stuff is all very interesting history: these laws, shock on awe on Mount Sinai, covenants made with blood, but what does it have to do with us as Christians in the 21st century? Well it has quite a lot. Why? Well – firstly – this is the same God we serve today. God doesn’t change. God is still the holy God who should inspire awe and fear in us that causes us not to sin. But also- God’s dealings with Israel were the shadow, the forerunner of His dealings with us – the church, through Jesus Christ. The events in these chapters are referred to a lot in the New Testament, especially in Hebrews.
Hebrews 1218 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure the order that was given, If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned. 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, I tremble with fear. 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
Wow – look at that! The author of Hebrews is referring to the Israelites’ experience of God at Mt Sinai, and notes how terrifying it was. But what about us? We have Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant. Not the covenant that God made with Israel over 3000 years ago, but a new covenant made with the blood of Jesus. There are some similarities between the covenant that God made with Israel and the new covenant that God made with us through Jesus. And there are some differences too.
Firstly, God is to be feared – greatly feared. But as God made a covenant with Israel with blood, so too He has made a covenant with us by the blood of Jesus. But our covenant is a far superior one. You see, the Jews had to obey the Law that was given to them as part of keeping the covenant. And when they sinned – they had to sacrifice animals – but those sacrifices were only like a band-aid – they didn’t solve the problem as it says in:
Hebrews 104 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
But about Jesus’ sacrifice it says:
Hebrews 1014 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
The other things is that there is grace in both covenants. Sometimes we think that God chose Israel because they kept all these laws.. However, remember that God delivered Israel from Egypt, chose them as His people, and brought them to Mt Sinai, and then gave them His law. That is – the deliverance from Egypt was an act of grace, not because they kept the Law. However, God gave them His law to keep as their part of the covenant. And it is similar with us. If you are a Christian, God has saved you – not because of any good thing you have done - but because of His grace - because of what Jesus had done, not because of what you or I have done. But, as part of becoming His people, God does give us His way of living, and He does expect us to follow His rules. But again – there’s a difference, a few differences.
Firstly – the Israelites were given rules – but not the power to keep them. On the other hand – we have been given the Holy Spirit who gives us the power to keep the rules.
Secondly – and this is related to whether we as Christians keep the Old Testament Laws - Jesus Christ has fulfilled – or completed - the Law. We looked at that earlier this year in Matthew 5:17-20, so I’m not going to go into that again today. It’s an important topic so if you missed that sermon or want to revise it, ask Neville or the sound desk or me for a copy, or get it off the internet. But briefly – in fulfilling the Law, some aspects of the Law and how it works for us today do look different than they did for the Israelites back then. And when we went through the Sermon on the Mount recently, we looked at how some of those laws look like for us now as Christians.
And thirdly, which we also looked at in the Sermon on the Mount, the Israelite Law was mainly concerned with external actions, and while for us, Jesus is also concerned with external actions, He is also concerned with the attitudes of our heart and what we are really like on the inside. He is concerned with the Law of Christ written on our hearts.
And fourthly, and this is a wonderful encouragement, although we try and keep God’s rules, and as Christians we must try our best, we will still slip up from time to time and sin. And when we do, Hallelujah! - we have a mediator! We don’t need to live in condemnation! We can come to Christ and if we are truly sorry, He will forgive us. Isn’t that wonderful?
