December 13, 2004

Reading through the Bible in one Year: 1 Timothy 2:5

Weekly Memory Verse: Proverbs 27:17

Good Evening Brothers and Sisters,

I heavily considered staying in the Gospels and working on the Christmas story some more, but felt drawn back to the Old Testament.  This week we will be studying some tremendous passages, be ready.  Just as a word of encouragement, during the Christmas holidays, many of us get so busy doing stuff, Christmas shopping, going to parties, and visiting relatives that we forget the true meaning of Christmas.  We treat it more like the pagan holiday that originally inspired the heathens to worship pagan gods rather than focusing upon Jesus Christ.  One gift that each of you can give your families is your devotion to Christ Jesus.  If you draw near to Jesus during this season, watch, your family will do the same thing.  It's time that Christians become aggressive in re-taking Christmas as a Christian Holiday!  On with the study!

Exodus 19 (NASB95)
¹ In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. ² When they set out from Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and camped in the wilderness; and there Israel camped in front of the mountain. ³ Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons 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 then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the 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 sons of Israel.” ⁷ So Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the Lord had commanded him. ⁸ All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do!” And Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord. ⁹ The Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will come to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you and may also believe in you forever.” Then Moses told the words of the people to the Lord. ¹⁰ The Lord also said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments; ¹¹ and let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. ¹² “You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. ¹³ ‘No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.” ¹⁴ So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people, and they washed their garments. ¹⁵ He said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman.” ¹⁶ So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. ¹⁷ And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. ¹⁸ Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. ¹⁹ When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with 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 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, so that they do not break through to the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish. ²² “Also let the priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, or else the Lord will break out against them.” ²³ Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You warned us, saying, ‘Set bounds about the mountain and consecrate it.’ ” ²⁴ Then the Lord said to him, “Go down and come up again, you and Aaron with you; but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, or He will break forth upon them.” ²⁵ So Moses went down to the people and told them.^[1]

The previous ninety days packed some powerful lessons for Israel.  They watched God split the red sea, exterminate an army, bring water from a rock, give victory in battle, and provide daily food for them in the form of Manna and quail.  God provided, displayed tremendous power, and protected them.  Nothing in their wildest dreams prepared them for the display that was to come. 

God made a promise in verse 5 that is tremendous.  The entire promise hinges on one word, "if".  God promised to make them a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation", He promised them that they would be His coveted possession.  What happened to the promise?  God never backs out on His promises, so it still stands.  The Jewish people walked away from this promise when they rejected the Messiah, Jesus, that was sent for them.  Yet the promise still stands.  One day the Jewish people are going to wake up, recognize who the Messiah is, and they will re-take their role as a nation of priests and a holy nation in the world.  We have the privilege of experiencing a little of the prophecy watching Israel become a nation, and move on to a world power today. 

Deuteronomy 7:6 (NASB95)
⁶ “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

Deuteronomy 14:2 (NASB95)
² “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

Deuteronomy 26:18 (NASB95)
¹⁸ “The Lord has today declared you to be His people, a treasured possession, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments;

Psalm 135:4 (NASB95)
⁴ For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel for His own possession.

Isaiah 62:12 (NASB95)
¹² And they will call them, “The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord”; And you will be called, “Sought out, a city not forsaken.”

Malachi 3:17 (NASB95)
¹⁷ “They will be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.” ^[2]

As Christian believers, we are gentiles who have accepted Jesus as Lord and savior in our lives.  As a result of that we have become spiritual children of Abraham.  We have the opportunity to share in this promise and benefit from it.  Even though we are positionally a nation of priest and holy through the blood of Jesus, I believe that we are receiving just a shadow of what is to come for the Jews.

Romans 12:1 (NASB95)
¹ Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

1 Corinthians 3:17 (NASB95)
¹⁷ If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.

2 Timothy 2:10-13 (NASB95)
¹⁰ For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory. ¹¹ It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; ¹² If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; ¹³ If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

1 Peter 2:5 (NASB95)
⁵ you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:9 (NASB95)
⁹ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Revelation 1:5-6 (NASB95)
⁵ and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— ⁶ and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 5:9-10 (NASB95)
⁹ And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. ¹⁰ “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”

Revelation 20:6 (NASB95)
⁶ Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

Hebrews 9:15 (NASB95)
¹⁵ For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. ^[3]

Notice Israel's response in verse 8, God is still holding them to that promise.  This is also one of the reasons that God is so severe when He deals with the sin that Israel becomes involved in during the rest of the Exodus.  They made a promise, God is taking them at their word. 

Turn that around to our lives today, when we came to know Jesus as Savior, we promised to make Him king and ruler over our lives.  Sure He has forgiven us through the blood of Jesus and we stand righteous in His sight, but at this point, He had already delivered the Jews from Egypt and they stood free in His presence.  Obedience is critical to the Christian life, it won't save us from our sins, but it does draw us near to the throne of Christ.  It is only through obedience that we will experience the power of God in our lives.  Face it, if we are walking according to the ways of the world, and draw all of our power from our own achievements then God will not have much power in our lives.  But if we allow God to be God of every area of our lives and commit to obey Him when He directs us, watch out, things will begin to happen.  People will come to Christ as a result of our life testimony, they will be turned back to the Lord, those who are weak will be strengthened and built up.  Obedience preceded the law because it is critical in the relationship with God.

Another thing that I found interesting in the passage was that God made them wait three days before He came to them on the mountain.  Jesus spent three days in the grave before He returned to empower the disciples.  The power of God was unleashed on the mountain so that "the people may hear when I speak with you and may also believe in you forever."  God endorsed the life of Moses through the cloud and the discussion with Him on the mountain.  God endorses the lives of every believer when we take part in the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross, die with Him spiritually and are raised to a new life in Jesus.  In a way, when you accept Jesus as Lord, you died with Him on the cross and rose to a new life with Him on the third day.  We have a message because we have experienced the power of God in our lives. 

Up to this point in time, as I pointed out earlier, the Jewish people had tremendous miracles and fantastic works of God to hang their hats on.  They experienced the unbelievable, and watched the impossible take place on a daily basis in the form of the food and water that they were receiving on their journey.  When God sent the message that more was to come, you can imagine how terrified that they were.  God promised death to anyone who touched the mountain; they were warned to clean their clothes, and lifestyles, even to the point of abstaining from sex for three days.  This was to be a special day, a day when God confirmed the covenant that they had agreed to. 

God descended on the mountain with a tremendous amount of power displayed.  Israel did not blow the trumpet, God inspired the trumpet.  We aren't told how it came to pass, I wonder if one of the angels from Revelation blew that trumpet for the first time.  It struck fear in the hearts of men, during all the stay in Egypt, Israel never experienced such an awesome display of power. 

The trumpet continued to play it's music, becoming louder as God and Moses spoke together.  Notice the way that God sets up the pecking order.  The priests drew near to God to be consecrated so that they would not be struck dead.  The people were warned not to draw near or they would certainly be struck dead.  Moses walked right up to speak with God face to face. 

One other observation, God who was speaking with Moses must have been the Father because the warning that if the people broke through they would be receiving the wrath of the Lord.  This would be a difficult passage to understand if you were not to consider that God the Father and God the Son were both present.  The switch between first and second person during the word of the Lord would be a little confusing. 

Remember, Jesus was also God in the Old Testament; most of the time when He is referred to, it is as "LORD" in most translations.  He was the one who was the go-between in the Old Testament. Jesus is still our go-between today, covering us with His redemptive blood so that we stand righteous in the sight of God.  The pecking order that was set up in this passage was virtually done away with when Jesus paid the final penalty for sin.  That is because through the blood of Jesus, we have been forgiven and we have the ability to enter right into the presence of God.  We now only have one mediator, and that Mediator is Jesus Christ Himself.

1 Timothy 2:5-8 (NASB95)
⁵ For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. ⁷ For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. ⁸ Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.

Hebrews 4:14-16 (NASB95)
¹⁴ Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.^[4]

We no longer need Moses to stand before God to find out what He says to us, we don't need the priests to stand as a buffer between us and God.  We have the opportunity to walk boldly before the presence of God.  The question is what are we going to do about it?  Are we going to continue to live as if our preachers, elders, and deacons are our avenue to speak with the Lord, or are we going to get aggressive in our walk with Him?

I am going to close here, all comments are welcomed. 

Father, as we consider Your word today, open our eyes and reveal to us our commitment to You.  Show us our hearts and give us the will to surrender them to You in obedience.  Thank You for Your salvation that You made available to us.

In Him,

Joe Turner.