"everything Yahwe Says, We Will Do, Except..... Series

March 15, 2025

When Yahweh called Moses, he made a promise:

Exodus 3:12 - "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain."

Faithful to his promise:

Exodus 19:1-2 - In the third month after the Israelites left Egypt-- on the very day-- they came to the Desert of Sinai. After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain.

While Yahweh had proven himself faithful time and time again, Israel had proven less so. Yet, despite all their grumbling and complaining, Yahweh had journeyed with them and he had brought them to his mountain.

Yahweh called to Moses from the mountain:

Exodus 19:3-6 - "This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.'”

The people responded:

Exodus 19:8 - … "We will do everything Yahweh has said."

God gave specific instructions for how Israel should prepare to meet him. They were to purify themselves and they were to build boundary markers around the mountain. Yahweh’s presence would make the mountain holy. The markers were to be a line of protection. Anyone who presumed to cross the boundary would be killed.

On the 3rd day there was thunder and lightning and a thick cloud covered the mountain. At the trumpet blast, all Israel trembled. Moses led the people out of camp and they came and stood at the foot of the mountain.

The mountain was covered with smoke because Yahweh had descended on it in fire. The whole mountain shook and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder.

Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.

Yahweh called Moses to the top of the mountain, so Moses went up. After some further instructions, Moses went down again and told the people all that God had said. And then God spoke to the people directly:

Exodus 20:1-17 - … "I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

1 - You are to have no other gods before me.

2 - You are not to make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

3 - You are not to misuse the name of Yahweh your God, for Yahweh will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

4 - Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 6 days you shall labor and do all your work, but the 7th day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in 6 days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the 7th day. Therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

5 - Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land Yahweh your God is giving you.

6 - Do not murder.

7 - Do not commit adultery.

8 - Do not steal.

9 - Do not give false testimony against your neighbor.

10 - Do not covet your neighbor's house, or his wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

Before we continue, we are going to look again at Commandment #2.

• One of the things idol worship does is it eliminates awe, because the gods we create are no greater than we are or the value we bestow upon them. Yahweh has declared himself to be self-existent. He is great and powerful and awesome apart from what we think about him. Furthermore, God knows that idol worship not only destroys our understanding of him, but it will eventually destroy us. His jealousy, then, should not be seen in the context of human jealousy, which is rooted in insecurity and envy, but in the passionate, protective, exclusive, covenant love relationship he desires to have with his creation.