The Blessing of a Border
Exodus 19:1-13 – “1 In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.” “2 For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.” “3 And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;” “4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.” “5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:” “6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.” “7 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him.” “8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.” “9 And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.” “10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,” “11 And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.” “12 And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death:” “13 There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.”
l. INTRODUCTION – MENDING WALL BY ROBERT FROST
-It was a poem that I had to learn when I was in High School. Eleventh grade honors English and I thought that Mrs. Little just did not have anything better for her class to do than just to memorize poetry. But as the years have passed, Robert Frost’s poem, Mending Wall, is just plain good sense for living.
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it, And spills the upper boulders in the sun, And makes gaps even two can pass abreast. The work of hunters is another thing: I have come after them and made repair Where they have left not one stone on a stone, But they would have the rabbit out of hiding, To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean, No one has seen them made or heard them made, But at spring mending-time we find them there. I let my neighbor know beyond the hill; And on a day we meet to walk the line And set the wall between us once again. We keep the wall between us as we go. To each the boulders that have fallen to each. And some are loaves and some so nearly balls We have to use a spell to make them balance: ’Stay where you are until our backs are turned!’ We wear our fingers rough with handling them. Oh, just another kind of out-door game, One on a side. It comes to little more: There where it is we do not need the wall: He is all pine and I am apple orchard. My apple trees will never get across And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him. He only says, ’Good fences make good neighbors’. Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder If I could put a notion in his head: ’Why do they make good neighbors? Isn’t it Where there are cows? But here there are no cows. Before I built a wall I’d ask to know What I was walling in or walling out, And to whom I was like to give offence. Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, That wants it down.’ I could say ’Elves’ to him, But it’s not elves exactly, and I’d rather He said it for himself. I see him there Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed. He moves in darkness as it seems to me~ Not of woods only and the shade of trees. He will not go behind his father’s saying, And he likes having thought of it so well He says again, "Good fences make good neighbors."
ll. THE AREA OF THE TEXT
-The Bible informs us that Israel has now found their way out of the wilderness. They have traveled for three months and now God determines to meet with Moses to set some parameters for the children of Israel.
A. When God Calls Man
-One must always consider that when God determines to meet with men that there are some things that must be understood:
1. When God reveals Himself, man is summoned to attend (19:7-9).
-First always comes the call, and then comes the revelation. It becomes the pattern in the Word:
First the call, “Hear O Israel” and then the revelation, “The Lord thy God is one Lord.”
First the call, “This is my Beloved Son hear ye Him” and then the revelation of the New Testament Dispensation.
2. When God reveals Himself, man must be prepared for the revelation (19:10-15).
-If a man will prepare his home for special guests, then a man will have to prepare his heart for the arrival of a Holy God.
• Accomplished by hearing the man who introduces the coming of God.
• Accomplished by a hunger for personal purity.
• Accomplished by obedience to the commands of God.
• Accomplished by readiness at the right time.
-There is something about us that we must understand about the Word of God.
James 1:21 – “21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.”
-If we are willing to incorporate the engrafted word into our lives then we will be able to live above sin and ultimately we will find that our souls will be saved in Heaven.
B. The Setting of the Border
-In Exodus 19:12, God instructed Moses to set up some “bounds.”
• NIV – uses the word “limits.”
• Living Bible – uses the words “boundary lines.”
• American Standard – uses the word “borders.”
• New Living Translation – uses the words “boundary lines.”
• Moffat’s – uses the words “mark off the mountain.”
-These boundaries that were set up would cause men to be in a place of safety. The borders were not to limit man but rather they were to save him. Let the cries come from the world all day long, that we are involved in legalism and rule minding, but the church must have some boundaries to save her from this world.
-A church that loses it’s identity will soon lose it’s message.
-There are several lessons that come from this passage of where Moses was instructed to set up the borders.
1. It was Moses job to set the bounds for the people.
-The determination of where the mountain was to start was up to Moses. There is no manual or guidebook that states where the mountain stops or starts. But as God was going to speak directly to the people, He expected Moses to set the bounds as well as command Israel to sanctify themselves.
-I would think that for the sake of safety that Moses would not have placed the boundary as close to the mountain as possible but would have moved several yards away from the place that God had instructed him to do.
2. If anyone broke through the border that Moses set, be they man or beast, they were to be killed.
-The offender was to be stoned or thrust through with a dart. God honored the line that Moses had drawn.
-We must understand that when God came down onto this mountain that unimaginable glory and power was revealed. The Bible tells us in both Exodus and Hebrews that the earth itself trembled. The entire mountain quaked in the presence of a holy God and was engulfed by a great cloud.
-Out of this great cloud came great thunders, lightnings, and the sound of a mass of heavenly trumpets. But above all of these terrifying sounds was the utterly overpowering voice of God Himself. It was a scene of such magnitude and awe that Moses said, “I myself exceedingly fear and quake.”
-The terrified Israelites begged Moses to stop God’s audible speaking, promising; “Moses if you will just go back up the mountain, listen to God, and come back, anything that God requires we will obey. But we cannot endure this intense glory, this direct voice of God.”
-Imagine the glory, the shaking, the thunder, the lightning, the sound of trumpets, and the very voice of God. One would think that with that much power of God that if anyone broke through the border, that the literal power of God would have been so overwhelming it would have killed the person.
-But God said that He was not going to do that. He commanded them, If someone touches the mountain, You kill them. You stone them. You thrust them with a dart.
-It was the congregations responsibility to protect the mountain and the presence of God. What God is ultimately saying, “I am not going to protect my glory. If it is going to be protected at all, it is up to the people to do it.”
-That is why that a vast number of churches do not have the glory of God in their midst; they don’t care enough about it to protect it. God’s attitude is this, “If it isn’t important enough to you to protect it, I will simply remove it. Hence that is the enduring alarm from the seven churches in Revelation, “I will remove the candlestick.”
-Some say, “Where are the miracles, the signs, and the wonders?” My question is not where are the miracles but rather where are the borders? Take care of the borders and God will take care of the miracles.
-I will find someone who is willing to protect it and who does care and who does love me and who does want my laws. I will find someone who wants to please me. If you don’t care about my glory, there will be someone, somewhere, who will.
-God will see to it. If one group of people, or another generation does not value God enough, there is a group somewhere that will love God enough to be willing to surrender their wills to Him. He will gather them from every generation, from every century, from every nation, from every kindred and tongue.
• They are going to love Him.
• They are going to make up His bride.
• They are going to walk within the bounds of His Word.
• They are going to allow Him to remove the stones of misconception.
• They are going to take on His name and love it.
• They are going to receive His Spirit and walk in it.
• They are going to love His glory and protect it.
• They are going to do that which is right in his sight.
-They are going to be willing to keep fences.
C. An Illustration from the Old West
One of the most difficult challenges that faced America as it swept westward in the 1800’s was the lack of adequate fencing. It is hard for us to imagine, but he dominating topic of the news during that time was the issues concerning the fencing of vast western rangelands.
In an effort to meet this need, many men set out to attempt to produce a fence that would work. In the decade following the Civil War over 800 patents for fences were issued. A large number of these patents were given to men who attempted to design what we now call the “barbed wire” fence.
While there was a curiosity over this new fence, it was not great enough to cause the farmers and ranchers to purchase it. It seemed highly unlikely that a few strands of wire with a few scattered barbs could be a match for a 1500 pound Texas Longhorn. Soon, however, there were some events to occur that would literally change history.
John Warner Gates was a depressed young man. A salesman for Joseph Glidden, he just could not sell any barbed wire anywhere. Not even in the cattle town of San Antonio, Texas. Cattlemen, farmers, and cowboys were everywhere and they all needed affordable and functional fencing. But the Texans thought that Gates thin, strappy wire was a joke compared to the strength of the Longhorn. John Warner Gates had no takers for his fencing. As he sat dejectedly in one of San Antonio’s many saloons, he was suddenly hit with an idea that he thought might just do the trick.
Just outside of town, he marked off a huge area with fence posts and strung them with six strands of his barbed wire. He then published a proclamation daring the rural and city people to come and see an amazing feat. On the appointed day, ranchers, farmers, nesters, cowboys and almost everyone else came to see Gates very foolish demonstration.
With the fence in place, Gates’ hired men began herding hundreds of Texas Longhorns into the enclosed area. The Texans dealt with these creatures on a daily basis and were familiar with both their strength and wild nature. The onlookers laughed, saying, “There is no way that fence is going to hold those longhorns.” They plainly thought that Gates was crazy.
But as the Longhorns were herded in, the doubters, were amazed as they watched them rush up to the fence, brush against it, and then back away from it. They would hit it and then decide it was not such a good idea after all. After a while, to everyone’s amazement, the Longhorns settled down.
Then an even more amazing thing happened. Some say John Gates himself did it, others say he hired somebody to do it, but whoever did it must have been desperate for money. Someone took a fire torch and ran into the midst of the Longhorns, swinging it around their head screaming like a banshee. The cattle, though crazed with fear and running pell mell within the confines of the fence, did not tear it down. At this point John Gates leapt to a platform holding a strand of wire and bellowed, “This is the finest fence in the world. It’s light as air, stronger than whiskey and cheaper than dirt.”
This unique ad campaign caught the imagination of the Texans and soon the rest of the west. They realized that this fence was what they had been looking for and the boom was on. Glidden’s company sold 10,000 lbs of barbed wire in 1874. They demand for this wire grew so much that in 1880, Glidden’s company sold 80,500,000 lbs of wire in that year alone.
John Warner Gates became very wealthy and is actually credited with being the man who built the city of Port Arthur, Texas. (Adapted From What a Difference a Line Can Make – Larry Booker)
-As the years pass by, I realize more and more how important that it is that we are willing as a church to define some borders.
lV. CONCLUSION – CARING FOR THE BORDERS
-This picture from the Proverbs is arresting to say the least:
Proverbs 24:29_34 – “29 Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work.” “30 I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;” “31 And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.” “32 Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction.” “33 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:” “34 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.”
-God is not pleased with the destruction of this wall.
-What if Achan would have had a border, it would have saved his family.
• What if Saul would have had a border, it would have saved his family and throne.
• What is Samson would have had a border, it would have re-wrote the story of his life.
-The broken borders do more than just affect us, it affects the generations to come.
A. The Tragedy of a Fenceless Flock
One of our pastors (Larry Booker) tells of going to General Conference a number of years ago where a special session for ministers was held. A certain pastor had been asked to speak to the ministers about his personal experiences concerning the importance of upholding holiness in the local church. The church he pastored had about 600 people at that time, and I also knew that they had let down tremendously in separation from the world.
This pastor related how that on three different occasions God dealt with him about His displeasure with this situation of waning holiness. He did not say how that God had talked to him the first time, but he did tell how God dealt with him the final two times.
In the first instance, he told of purchasing a piece of property in the country where he had fenced some sheep. When he bought the small flock, a few goats were thrown in by seller as a kind gesture. At the time the pastor thought this was kindness but he soon realized why the goats were free.
In the middle of his property he fenced off an area and put up a shelter with food and water for his flock. One morning he came to check on them and found they all had broke through the fence and were grazing beyond its perimeters. He found the breach, repaired it and managed to get them all back inside.
The next day the animals were out again: not far away, just a few feet outside the fence. He thought to himself that there must be something there they wanted and needed, so he enlarged the fences border just enough to include the area where the sheep and goats had been grazing. He said to himself, “Now you will be happy. This is just what you wanted.”
When he came back the following day, they were again outside the fence, not far but just beyond the bounds that he thought would make them happy. He repaired the breach and once more herded them all back inside, only to come back another day and find them outside. He enlarged the fence once more, saying, “OK, this is where you want to be. The fence is now big enough to accommodate your desire.” But the next day there were outside the fence again. Thought this process he realized that it was the goats that were the real instigators of these “breakouts” and understood why they had been given to him.
The property where he kept his flock was surrounded on all sides by a fence and dirt roads. The fence surrounding the property obviously had little ability to keep the sheep and goats in, and the pastor was frustrated and tired of the animals constantly getting out. He figured there would be nothing appealing in the road for them to heat and would therefore probably be safe enough. So he removed the fence completely. His attitude was this, “All right go ahead and have the whole field. I’ll let them do whatever they want. I know they can get through the main fence but why would they want to? They’ll be alright.”
Early one morning, he received a call from a neighboring farmer. He said, “Preacher, you had better come down here. You’ve really got a mess on your hands. A pack of wild dogs came through last night and they’ve slaughtered your flock.”
When the pastor arrived on the scene he found every sheep and every goat dead. Their stomachs and throats had been ripped out and the carnage was gruesome. The dogs did not even eat them, they just slew the flock in a blood lust and left them while they yipped and yapped their way back to whatever pit they came from.
As he stood there in the midst of the blood and gore, looking at his slaughtered flock, the Lord God spoke to him these words: Fences are not just to keep things in, they are also to keep some things out. (Adapted from What a Difference a Line Can Make – Larry Booker)
Philip Harrelson
barnabas 14@juno.com
barnabas14@yahoo.com
