Giving Up Control

When Moses saw a vision of God and began to really know him personally, he became much more humble or meek, as we saw in the previous post.  When they first came out of Egypt, Moses was trying to deal with every problem himself, as we saw in Exodus 18.   He felt like he was responsible for every detail.  His father in law advised him to delegate some of that responsibility and quit micro managing, warning that continuing would so consume his time and energy they would be unable to do what needed to be done.  After getting a vision of the glory and power of God Moses realized God was able to control things without his help. 

God had directed Moses to build the Tabernacle, and to build it, they would need to obtain the necessary materials.  Instead of designating that each person donate a certain amount or setting up a telethon or other fund raising campaign, like many modern churches do, Moses listed what they needed and said that anyone who wanted to could donate toward those needs, in Exodus 35:4-9.  “And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying, Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass, And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood, And oil for the light, and spices for anointing oil, and for the sweet incense, And onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod, and for the breastplate.

He also described the things they were going to build and said that if they had needed skills and wanted to help would be welcome to come and do the actual construction, in Exodus 35:10-19.  “And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the LORD hath commanded; The tabernacle, his tent, and his covering, his taches, and his boards, his bars, his pillars, and his sockets, The ark, and the staves thereof, with the mercy seat, and the veil of the covering, The table, and his staves, and all his vessels, and the showbread, The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light, And the incense altar, and his staves, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the door at the entering in of the tabernacle, The altar of burnt offering, with his brazen grate, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot, The hangings of the court, his pillars, and their sockets, and the hanging for the door of the court, The pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their cords, The cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office.”

The people gave willingly, according to Exodus 35:20-29.  “And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses.  And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD'S offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.  And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the LORD.  And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, and red skins of rams, and badgers' skins, brought them.  Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought the Lord's offering: and every man, with whom was found shittim wood for any work of the service, brought it.  And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen.  And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats' hair.  And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate; And spice, and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense.  The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.” 

No one was encouraged to give in an effort to prove their faith, or to test God, and there was no competition to see who gave the most.  The people simply brought what they had or could produce, as they felt led of the Lord to give, and nobody knew how much anyone else gave.   There were no tax write offs or announcements made about their gifts, nor even a chart showing how much had been received. 

Moses recognized that God had called Bezaleel and Aholiab to oversee the construction, just as he had called Moses to lead the nation.  He had also called others to do specific jobs on the construction, giving them special skills and knowledge to do those jobs.  Moses would not need to oversee every detail, but could trust God to direct them so that things got done properly, as Exodus 35:30-36:1 tells us.  “And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work.  And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.

Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work. Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded.”

This is an important concept for Christians, that God has called them to a specific type of work where they can use their special talents at their job to glorify him and minister to those around them.  The janitor has just as definite a calling into the Lord’s service as a missionary or pastor, and their jobs are just as important.   Before God we are all equals, and as James 2:1- 10 tells us, when we set one above another we are sinning.  “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.  For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?  But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?  Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.  For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

Having told the people what God wanted, Moses left it up to the Lord to direct them what they should do, trusting them to do as God directed as Exodus 36:2-3 describes.  “And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it: And they received of Moses all the offering, which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, to make it withal. And they brought yet unto him free offerings every morning.”

Given the freedom to follow what God directed, the people rose to the occasion. Providing everything that was needed, according to Exodus 36:4-7.  “And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made; And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make.

And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing.  For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.”

Free to give as they saw fit, the people had outdone themselves.  The workers had to ask that no more be given as they couldn’t use it all.  When we set up our fundraising efforts, we are depending on our own abilities rather than on God’s power.  As a result, people often become resentful, and it is usually a struggle to get the last part that is needed.   Philippians 4:19 promises, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”  Since God has not run out of money, if he is not supplying what is needed, it implies we are not following his plan, either not trusting him to supply, or trying to do something he is not pleased with. 

Having recognized God could direct others besides himself, Moses allowed the workers to do their job without his interference.  It turned out exactly as God had planned, according to Exodus 39:42-43.  “According to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work.  And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the LORD had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them.”  When we begin to understand who God is, we begin to understand everything depends on him rather than on us.  We can trust him and don’t need to control others. 

The Impact of Getting to Know God

The first time Moses went up on the mountain, he was accompanied by Joshua, and he went specifically to get the finished records of God’s instructions to Israel.   The second time, he went by himself. but as we have seen, he was not satisfied whit just knowing what God demanded.  This time, he wanted to know God himself.  God revealed a little of himself in response to Moses’ prayer, resulting in a dramatic change in Moses’ attitude.  Instead of telling God he didn’t want to go unless God went with them, Moses asked God to forgive them and go with them in spite of their sin. 

As I mentioned earlier, every person in scripture who got a vision of God was humbled by the experience, falling on their face to the ground in worship, and acknowledging their wickedness.  Proverbs 8:13 tells us, “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.”  If we truly know and re3spect God there will be no place for pride and arrogance.  When we see those things in Christian’s life they indicate he has not developed a close relationship with God   Galatians 5:22-23 describes meekness as part of the fruit of the Spirit. 

This getting to know God did not happen instantaneously,  Exodus 34:28 tells us, “And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.”  The first time, God had written the law on the tables of stone.  The second time, Moses wrote them out himself.  The very act of writing them out himself would force Moses to think more deeply about what they said, firmly fixing them in his mind.  He was no longer passively reading what God had said, but was actively thinking about it.  For forty days, he was so focused on God and what he wanted that he didn’t stop to eat or drink.    He was not fasting to get God to do something, but simply trying get to know God better.   When one is really involved in something, they often don’t even think about eating.  As Isaiah 58 tells us, this is the kind of fast that pleases God. 

The changes getting to know God caused were apparent to those around him, although Moses wasn’t even aware of them, as Exodus 34:29-30 tells us.  “And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.  And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.”  The attitude changes inside affected how he related to other people as well.  Those who did not have the same closeness with God found the changes somewhat disturbing. 

The changes were enough that the people were  unsure what to think of him,  He had to reassure them that he was still the same person, in Exodus 34:31-35.  “And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them.  And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai.  And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face.  But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the veil off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded.  And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.”

The people were caught up in the religious activities and mechanically keeping the law and had no understanding of the spiritual relationship with God, as II Corinthians 3:13-18 explains.  “And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away in Christ.  But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart.  Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away.

Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

Frequently, in a marriage people become so caught up in keeping house, earning a living, and taking the kids to activities they don’t have time to get to know their mate.   While the marriage may look great to those on the outside, neither husband nor wife are really satisfied.  That is essentially what the Israelites were doing in their relationship with god, and many Christians today are doing the same thing.   They are so caught up in doing religious activities, going to church, and witnessing, praying, and reading the Bible, They simply never get to know and love God himself.  When we allow him to teach and lead us, the Holy Spirit frees us from those obligations.  As we get to know God and Christ better, our attitudes become more like Christ’s.  Instead of those religious activities being our goal, they become byproducts of our relationship with God.  We no longer have to worry about doing those things because they come naturally to us.    Such a relationship can only occur when we spend the time alone with God.   Even Joshua’s presence would have interfered.

Really getting To Know God

When Moses made the effort to meet God half way, God revealed things about himself to him in ways no one else had ever experienced, literally showing him a little bit of his glory.  As a result, Exodus 34:8 tells us, “And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.”  The word translated worshipped means literally he fell prostrate on the ground in humility before God.    Like every other person in scripture who got a vision of God, Moses fell on his face, recognizing God’s power and superiority.   Before seeing his vision of God’s glory, In Exodus Ex 33:15, Moses told God, “…If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.”  After seeing the vision, Moses had a different attitude, in Exodus 34:9.  “And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.”  He was no longer demanding God go with them but begging him to accompany them in spite of their stubbornness and rebellion. 

God agreed to go with them and do everything he promised.  In exchange there were certain things he would demand from them.  Exodus 34:10-11 describes what God promised to do for them if they would obey.  “And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee.  Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.”

If they were going to experience God’s presence with them, they would have to make a point of avoiding worshipping any other gods, according to Exodus 34:12-17.  “Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.  Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.”  The picture here is of a wife avoiding any appearance of flirting with other men, and in Jeremiah 3:14, God told Israel, “…I am married unto you…”  A husband or wife has every right to be upset if their mate is flirting and making out with someone else. 

Just as a wife is expected to cook and keep house for her husband in exchange for his providing her a place to live and food to eat, Israel was expected to show their appreciation for what God was doing for them by keeping certain sacrifices and celebrations, as we see in Exodus 34:18-27.  “The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt.

All that openeth the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male.  But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty.

Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.

And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.  Thrice in the year shall all your menchildren appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel.  For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the year.

Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning.  The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.  And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.”

Celebrating the Passover was very much like a couple celebrating their anniversary and remembering their marriage.  Celebrating the Sabbath was very much like a couple setting aside a time to put aside everything else and spend time with each other.  Like any family, they needed to take time to sit down at the table and eat together, at each of the various feasts.  When we are too busy with other things to spend the time together, we destroy the marriage relationship, no matter how good or important the things we are doing may be.  It doesn’t matter whether we are cleaning house or earning a degree, working overtime, working out at the gym, or going out with our friends, it weakens the marriage, even though we are doing those things for our mate.    Similarly, we get so caught up in witnessing and doing our devotions or performing a ministry that we don’t take time for God and destroy our spiritual relationship.   If we really want a close relationship with him he have to put him first, even ahead of whatever ministry we may be involved in.    It has to be an ongoing thing, not just a one-time event. 

Getting To Know God

Just forty days after agreeing to keep God’s covenant, Israel had already broken the most basic principle, by making the golden calf.    It didn’t seem to matter how much God loved them or provided for them, they did not love him enough to be faithful to him.   God expressed his frustration with them to Moses in Exodus 32:7-10.  “And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.  And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.”

God had no intention of destroying Israel, but was expressing how their unfaithfulness made him feel.  Moses was concerned that God might act on his feelings and reminded him how much harm such actions might do, in Exodus 32:11-13.  ”And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?  Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.  Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.”  To act on his feelings would permanently damage or destroy the very things God most desired. 

God agreed with Moses’ assessment, but the feelings were still there.  He warned that continued disobedience might result in his over reacting.  He would fulfill his promises, but would not dwell with them so that he would not have deal with their attitude, as Exodus 32:14-33:3 tells us.  “And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.  And the LORD said unto Moses, Depart, and go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it: And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way.”

The people realized just having everything they wanted would mean very little without a personal relationship with God, as Exodus 33:4-6.  “And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments.  For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee.  And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb.”  It would be very much like a family where the husband or wife works all the time and never takes time to spend with their family.  Unfortunately, a lot of people are focused on the things they have and never realize the relationship they are missing. 

Unlike the people, Moses was more concerned with having a relationship with God than with the things he would receive, as Exodus 33:12-16 explains.  “And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.  Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.

And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.  For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.”

Ephesians 5:22-33 compares the relationship of husband and wife to that of Christians to God.  This passage illustrates many of the same principles, so that we better understand both marriage and the Christian life more completely.  Moses didn’t have any desire to have all the things without an intimate rationship with God himself.”  It was exactly what God wanted as well and God agreed to it in Exodus 33:17-23.  “And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.”

And he said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory.

And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.  And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.  And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.”

As much as he wanted to know God completely, and as much as God wanted him to know, Moses could only handle a certain amount.  For Moses to experience that would require a special effort on his part.  He would have to set aside his responsibilities for the Nation of Israel and spend time alone with God, letting God explain his own way as he did in Exodus 34:1-7.  “And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.  And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount.  And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount.  And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.

And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.  And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.”

Unfortunately, unlike Moses, most people are not concerned with developing a close relationship with God.   They are so busy with what they are trying to accomplish they don’t take time to really get to know him.   When they spend time in devotions, it like a wife responding to her husband because it is her duty rather than because she wants to be with him.  Their conversations are superficial, never getting down to the things that really matter, because they are focused on what they are doing rather than on their mate, but when problems arise, they blame their mate for not communicating.  Christians do the same thing with God.    Most of the people did not get to know God like Moses did, because they didn’t care enough. 

Committed to Moses, Not to God

The Israelites had clearly seen God’s power in delivering them from Egypt, in giving them food and water, and in defeating the Amalekites. They had agreed to making a contract with God to obey him in exchange for his guidance and help in Exodus 19:8.  “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.”  With that much of a commitment from the people, God had proceeded to define what they would be expected to do, in Exodus 19-23. 

Moses went back to the people and explained in detail what God would expect of them, In Exodus 24:3.  “And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.”  The people stated that they were committed to obey God’s command.  With that in mind, Moses proceeded to write out the contract and in effect get a signed commitment from the people, in Exodus 24:4-8.  “And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.  And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD.  And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.  And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.  And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.”

It seemed like the people were really committed to obeying God, and he called Moses to the top of the Mountain to finalize the contract, and make a permanent copy in Exodus 24:12-18.  “And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.   And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God.  And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them.

And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.  And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.  And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.  And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.”

Unfortunately, people often make promises without really thinking about what the promises mean.  Without Moses there to constantly remind them of their commitment, the people turned away in just a few days, as Exodus 32:1-6.  “And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.  And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.

 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.  And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.  And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD.  And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.”

It undoubtedly took several days to make the mold, gather the gold, and build a furnace for melting it.  it then had to cool enough they could finish it and engrave it.  Once it was completed and Aaron was satisfied, he declared it to be the God which brought them out of Egypt, and named the following day as a day of sacrifice and worship.  It is important to notice that the people’s focus was on Moses, rather than on God.  Moses had only been out of sight for about a month when they demanded Aaron make them a new God.   

Unfortunately, the same thing happens a lot in the modern church.  People often make professions of faith, because they believe in the preacher or soul winner, rather than because they believe in Jesus Christ.  As long as the preacher or someone is right there to keep them doing the right things they seem devoted to God, but when problems arise or their preacher or guide leaves and the excitement ends, they turn away.  In his explanation of the parable of the Sower and the seed, Jesus described them as those in the stony places, in Matthew 13:20-21.  “But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.”  While they appear excited about being a Christian, and may stay for several years, they have no real commitment to Christ himself.  While we can’t judge a person’s motives, we can inspect their fruit, because as Jesus said in Matthew 7:16-17, “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.”  We just have to learn to differentiate between works and spiritual fruit. 

The Rewards Of Obedience To God

God designed the world to function according to certain principles, and when we follow them, they naturally benefit us, as for example, the principle of letting the land lay fallow in the previous post.  If that were the only benefit of following God’s commands, it would be well worth the effort, but it doesn’t stop there.  If Israel would follow his commands, God promised that he would intervene miraculously on their behalf in other ways. 

Just as he had delivered them from Egypt and defeated the Amalekites, God would  defeat those who were living in Canaan, giving the land to Israel, according to Exodus 23:20-24.  “Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.  Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.  But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.  For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off.”

Many people think it unfair that one group takies the land that another group has held.  We forget that all the earth belongs to God, and like any land owner, if those who he allows to live there refuse to live by the terms of their lease, he has the right to evict them and let someone else use the land.  When people forget it is God’s land, and that they are responsible to him they violate his laws and terms of use.  God warned Israel not to make that mistake, in Exodus 23:24-25.  “Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.  And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.”  They were to completely destroy all record of the other God’s so that they would not be tempted to follow the other religions. 

Exodus 23:26-31 describes the kind of things God would do for them if they would do as he commanded.  “There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.  

I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.  And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.  I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.  By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.

And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.”

In Exodus 15:26, God had promised, “…If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.”  Now he also promised that if they would wholly follow him, he would ensure that there would be no barren livestock or women among them, and that no mother would lose a baby, and that they could expect to live the full natural term of their lives.   They wouldn’t have to worry about dying from some disease or as a result of complications in childbirth or other common causes. 

God would cause the people in the land to fear them, fleeing in panic and deserting their homes.  He promised to send hornets or wasps to drive their enemies out, but only as they needed more land so that they would not have to reclaim it, but would have houses and the necessary infra structure to use it immediately.  He would continue to bless them that way until they took over the entire area God intended them to have.  Their boundaries would ultimately stretch from Red Sea and the Mediterranean eastward to Mount Sinai (present day Jebel el Laws), northward to the Euphrates River and back to the west to Lebanon, as Deuteronomy 11:22-24 makes clear.  “For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; Then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves.  Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be.” 

It was crucial that Israel stay faithful to God if they were to receive these promises, Exodus 23:32-33 warns, “Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.  They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.

Israel constantly turned away from God and as a result have never possessed all the land God promised them, even under David and Solomon.  Isaiah 11 indicates they will control it all during the millennial period, when Christ sets up his earthly kingdom. 

Just Do It God’s Way

To our modern way of thinking, many of God’s commands seem counter-productive.  For example, allowing the land to rest every seventh year seems like it is a waste of time and money.  Let’s look more closely at the command in Exodus 23:10-11.  “And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof: But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.”   Each time we grow the same crop on piece of land, we deplete certain nutrients that crop needs.  Most crops take their nutrients from the top few inches of soil, making it unproductive in a little while. 

Many weeds require different minerals, making them able to survive on the depleted soil, and their roots tend to go far deeper.  As they grow, they bring up nutrients from deep in the soil and replace the nutrients the crops needed, making the soil more fertile again.  There will nearly always be some of the seed from the crops that grows voluntarily, and those plants were to be left for those who had no land of their own or for the wild animals.  There are areas where this method has been followed for thousands of years and the land is still fertile and productive, and the ecosystem has been protected as well.  Experiments have shown that little or no fertilizer is required and that the soil tends to become better in the process.  God promised that if they would follow this procedure, he would cause the crop the sixth year to be enough to feed them until another crop was produced, in Leviticus 25:21-22.  “Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years.  And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat yet of old fruit until the ninth year; until her fruits come in ye shall eat of the old store.”   If they simply trusted God, he promised they would not lose financially, but would have and entire year’s vacation, and there would be no pressure to provide for the poor. 

In a similar manner, they were to take the seventh day as a day of rest, as Exodus 23:12 commands.  “Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.”  Numerous studies have demonstrated that people and animals are most productive when they have regular breaks from work.  When people get greedy, demanding people work seven days a week, their workers become increasingly unproductive. 

God repeatedly forbade worship of other gods.  At the same time he instructed people not disrespect other people by making fun of their gods.  Exodus 23:12 describes the best way to prevent doing either thing.  “And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.”  By just not mentioning them we take no chance of insulting those who worship them, nor do we imply any approval of them.  If we wish to reach others, it is far more effective to allow them to see Christ in us than to run down their beliefs. 

God designated three specific feasts for Israel to celebrate, as Exodus 23:14-17 tells us.  “Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.  Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:) And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.  Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD.” 

Each of these feasts was a celebration of what God had done for them.  Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread was a reminder of What God had done in delivering them from Egypt.  The Feast of Harvest, better known as the Feast of First Fruits was a way of thanking God for making their crops to grow, giving them something to harvest, while the Feast of ingathering came at the end of the harvest when they could celebrate how much he had provided. 

Even their worship of God was to be performed in a manner that placed the emphasis on god rather than what they were doing, as Exodus 23:18-19 instructs.  “Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of my sacrifice remain until the morning.  The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.”  They were to follow the rules God had made, not trying to improve on it by making better tasting bread, by buying nicer fruit than what they had grown, or using milk instead of water to cook the meat.  He wanted exactly the way he made it so that the glory went to him rather than the chef of priest who prepared the sacrifices.  It is the same principle as was described in Exodus 20:25.  “And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.”