Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

In the third month after leaving slavery behind in Egypt, the Israelites came to Moses’ old stomping grounds in Arabia: Mt. Horeb/Mt. Sinai. Everything that is about to happen from this chapter of Exodus (19) right through to Numbers Chapter 10 happens right here in the shadow of the mountain. Also, including some preparatory stuff we’re about to see, the timing of the giving of the Law made this Pentecost (three months plus three days prep plus the day of giving equals fourth day of the third month, which is Pentecost). The Law was given at Pentecost with a sign and wonder. Shortly after, 3,000 people got killed (rebellion against the Law). At Pentecost thousands of years later, the Spirit of God came down to dwell inside people with a sign and wonder. Shortly after, 3,000 people got saved (acceptance of salvation through the Spirit). The Law brings death, and the Spirit brings life (2 Corinthians 3:6).

Moses goes up the mountain and speaks to the Lord. Interestingly, it is the same word used for the Angel of the Lord in the burning bush (or the voice in the burning bush after the angel got Moses’ attention – I favour that idea). In Acts 7:38, it says this was the Angel of the Lord. This COULD be referring to Jesus B.C. (or Jesus before He became flesh). Regardless, God tells Moses to tell the Israelites that He is the God who brought them out of Egypt and He is going to speak to them and show Himself and they will KNOW that He is God. You think about that. They had witnessed the plagues of Egypt. The Red Sea parting. Miraculous food. Miraculous water. A pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. Yet it appears that they STILL didn’t have the revelation of God in their hearts. They still were fighting unbelief – it is not signs and miracles that create trust in the Lord. It is the revelation that develops as we hear the Word preached – not heard it, but continuously hear. He told them they would be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Moses used the system they had implemented. He told the elders, the elders told those under them, and so on. Word came back to Moses and he went back to the Lord to report that the Israelites choice was “All that Yahweh has spoken we will do” (vs 8).

They had to prepare themselves. Facing God is NEVER something that you can do unprepared. Without preparation, we’d completely blow up (Exodus 33:20-23). As New Covenant believers, we have Jesus’ righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). In JESUS, we can approach the very throne of God with praise and thanksgiving and NO FEAR (Ephesians 3:12). But we have a better Covenant (Hebrews 8:6) which gives us a superior position to Old Covenant believers (Matthew 11:11; Hebrews 10:19-23). They weren’t there though. They had to wash themselves two days, avoid sexual relations (devoting ALL their thought to Him), and wash their clothes (meditating on the symbology of cleansing their souls to prepare themselves), and then on the third day God would come down on the mountain (just as on the third day Jesus was resurrected to life). God told Moses to set boundaries around the mountain so that no one would go up the slope. Anyone who set foot on the mountain proper would be put to death. No hand would touch them, but they were to be stoned or shot with arrows – a judgment performed BY the Israelites ON the Israelites, not God. God told Moses, Moses told the people, and they prepared themselves.

On the third day, in the morning, thunder and lightning exploded from a THICK cloud that covered the mountain. A trumpet sounded. A LOUD one. Everyone in the camp trembled – including Moses (Hebrews 12:21). The Lord God Almighty is NOT a human. ANY encounter with Him will have us in awe. Even the mountain shook with the presence of God. The trumpet got louder and louder. This was a SPECTACULAR display. Moses called out and God answered him BY VOICE – in other words, everyone heard God’s voice clearly without any doubt at all that He was speaking. God called Moses up, and he went. God repeated the warnings to keep the Israelites off the mountain (He was concerned for their safety). He also referenced ‘the priests’ so there were priests before the official Levitical line was established. Moses was allowed on the mountain and he could bring Aaron with him, but no one else. Moses told the people and went up. This was what God said to him (and was heard by EVERYONE – Deuteronomy 5:22):

He was their God ALONE who brought them out of Egypt – He did these things for them and now was exercising His right to issue commands, since it was only by HIS actions that they had their lives and freedom.

No other gods before Yahweh – this means no idols. Colossians 3:5 states covetousness is idolatry. When we covet something, we are placing it first in our thoughts (it’s different from wanting something). We must not put anything before our relationship with Him whether it is an idea, a person, or an image.

Don’t make images depicting Me or of any other created thing to worship it (there are consequences that are generational) – this was a curse on worshipping anything but God. Ezekiel and Jeremiah prophesied that the day would come that the curse would be broken. Galatians 3:13 shows us it was broken by Jesus and the salvation He offers. The punishment for this sin was eliminated by accepting Jesus. God is jealous of us (wanting all His attention on us and wanting no one to get between all our attention on Him), not mad at us. He LOVES us.

He declared He would show mercy to us, not what we deserve. All sinned (and sin) and fall short of the standard for Righteousness (Romans 3:23). We don’t deserve His mercy OR His goodness (Romans 3:10). But we get them. However, there is a difference between sin as a result of fallen nature and willful sin regardless of our nature (Hebrews 10:26-29).

Keep the Sabbath and REMEMBER it – the Sabbath was a rest, a trusting in the Lord to provide, that was a shadow of what New Covenant believers have in Jesus (Hebrews 4:3-11). While we rest in Jesus, we only EXPERIENCE that rest if we remember to rely on and trust in Jesus with ALL our hearts. One day to rest and six to work gives plenty of time for OUR things. Also, that ratio of work has been proven to be the ideal amount of rest for the human body to stay at peak efficiency. God knows what He’s about.

Honour your mother and father so you will live long – this is the start of the moral laws that are intuitive to all humanity. You find them in every culture in some way. Treat them with respect and conduct yourself properly when interacting with them.

Do not ‘murder’ – in Hebrew the word is ratsach (raw-tsakh’) and meant to murder, slay, kill, or dash in pieces. It covered ALL the types of unlawful killing from intentional, premeditated killing right down to manslaughter. Life is important and should be treated with utmost respect. Completely accidental death (anything not intentional in some way or the cause of negligence in any way) was exempt.

Don’t commit adultery – that person is not your mate, leave them alone. Physically, mentally, emotionally, totally. If you look and lust (intentional sexual thought vs wow, they’re good looking) you might as well have bedded them from a spiritual point of view (don’t bed them just because you lusted – that’s rape. Teach your children – especially the boys – to never, ever do this at any time for any reason ever). It is NOT an eye issue. It is NOT a physical needs issue. It is NOT a ‘they dressed that way’ issue. It is a HEART issue. You either respect the opposite sex as individuals and God’s children, or you do not. The flesh fights this, the Spirit has the Fruit that conquers this. If we trusted Jesus in this issue and brought Him into our heart conversations about it, the ‘problem’ would dissolve in the blood on the cross.

Don’t steal – this is the manifestation of selfishness. A total disregard of anyone but yourself. If we walked like Jesus (Philippians 2:3) we would never even THINK of doing this.

Don’t bear false witness – this is lying. This is also ‘white’ lies. This is also lies of omission. This is also giving a false impression. This is ANYTHING that isn’t total truth. The truth sets you free from all lying (John 8:32).

Don’t covet – it’s wrong. It’s idolatry. And it is the principle behind all advertising (get this, you want this, they have this, and you need this because they have this). It is amazing what we justify doing based solely on the intense desire we have for something.

Pretty simple. If we are honest about it, we know they are correct. We know they are OBJECTIVELY right and good. Human thinking disagrees. The flesh disagrees. But they can’t get around it without willingly hardening their hearts. Interestingly, for all the talk about religious and state separation, the entire Western judicial system is based on thinking that came out of these principles.

“And they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will listen, but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”” (Exodus 20:19).

ALL the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning, the trumpet sound, the mountain smoking, and they heard the audible voice of God. They trembled and backed up, but they could not deny it. They would NEVER have the excuse that they didn’t know it was God and that God spoke to Moses and that Moses was relating in EVERY instance what God DIRECTLY said to him. Period. Full stop.

However, these people whose hearts still fought with unbelief, were VERY aware of their standing vs God’s standing and they were NOT HAVING ANY. That must have been heartbreaking for God who had done so much to show Himself, and be (visibly even) in their lives. To have a relationship with them. Yet here they were preferring an intermediary. God does NOT want intermediaries. There is only ONE mediator between the Father and humanity and that is His Son Messiah Jesus. No friend, family member, pastor, priest, pope, or world leader can stand in place of Jesus. Physically it is you to Him to the Father (the New Covenant we enter into – Matthew 26:28; 1 Corinthians 11:24-30). Spiritually it is face to face with the Father through Jesus (Hebrews 4:16; John 14:23). Moses even told them NOT to fear. That the point wasn’t to make them fear, but to do this for their own good so that they could have a relationship with God. But they stayed away. And Moses went back into the cloud.

God repeated who He was – and that they had seen it with their own eyes – and not to make idols. To approach Him at an altar they assembled, but didn’t carve and perfect – their efforts would fall short of what He deserved and they might get to worshipping the work of their hands. It wasn’t to be high, where they exalt themselves and the greatness of their works. Where they wouldn’t be going up a bunch of steps and exposing themselves to anyone behind or below – this was focus on God, not a flashing of our bits.

God then started on laws of conduct. He starts with slavery. He does NOT approve of slavery (where someone is taken against their will). Never has. Never will. If you kidnapped someone and sold them, or are found with them in your possession, you were put to death. Slavery is wrong. He does see our tendency to love money and our frequent unwillingness to let a debt go. He therefore allowed people to be servants/slaves to pay back debt – but only for six years. Men could be sold to another (them paying the remaining years and gaining the servant for themselves), women could not. They were to be treated as wives, protected, respected, and their value paid out if the time of service ended and they were not chosen to be an actual wife. If he got a wife during her time in his house, he couldn’t treat her any different. She was to be respected, cared for, and given her rights. Since men have a habit of second-citizening women, God enforced right treatment and financial support. If a male slave got a wife in that household, he left her behind unless he chose to be a permanent servant. This meant if there was a little self control, they could wait to marry until AFTER they had their freedom back – six years tops.

If you killed a person with intent, you were killed yourself. Crimes of passion, they could flee to a safe city and go through a judicial process – no vigilantes. But murderers got no mercy even if they begged at the altar. Sin had no ability to be cleansed, or hearts transformed until Jesus died and was resurrected. This was the ONLY way to keep sin from spreading – like cancer and how we amputate or even kill through chemotherapy. Once people cross a line, they continue down that slope without redemption from Jesus. God put cursing your mother and father in this same category. It was a CRIME to be disrespectful to the basic family unit (remember Sodom and Gomorrah and their disrespectful ways?).

If you fight with someone and you don’t kill them, but only send them into recovery, you are responsible for their loss of time at work AND their hospital bills. If you beat your slaves and they die, you get punished – it is not specified, but could be covered by manslaughter which would mean death. If you get into a fight, don’t kill them, but they die a few days later there is some grace given because it MIGHT not have been your fault. If you fight and cause a woman to be hurt and miscarry? Punished as her husband sees fit and the judges agree to. But if she dies? The perpetrator dies. If you hit a servant and cost them an eye? They go free immediately. You lose whatever labour they may have gained you.

God commands them to be responsible. If your ox is the goring type, get rid of it. Because if they gore someone and you know they are prone to it, you are responsible. If you’re out digging pits here and there – as one does – and you don’t cover them properly or fill them in, and an animal (or a man, I suppose) falls in then you are responsible. If your animal kills someone, then you get judged. If a servant/slave is killed, you owe 30 pieces of silver (price of a slave and the price Jesus was betrayed for). If your ox hurts another person’s ox, and it dies, then the live one is sold and the money is divided. BUT if you KNOW your ox gores and it does this? All the money goes to the other guy. You knew better and did nothing.

God is a MORAL God. His opinion is objective and RIGHTEOUS. We are to take responsibility for our actions. We are entitled to rest, but also to work. We are to treat others with respect. We are not to enslave others to our ideals. Payment of debts is one thing, but we are ALL given dominion. A dominion to steward this Earth, not to dominate one another. Partners in respect, in community, and in Blessing.

Summary

Key Players: Moses, God

Key Themes: The Law

Key Verse(s): Exodus 19:3-6, 16-19; 20:1-17, 19-21