Part 2 - Day 3
Read Exodus 20:1-26 and Exodus 24:1-8
Exodus 20 and the laws that follow in 21, 22 and 23 are crucial to the story of God’s people. This marks the introduction of God’s standard for the Israelite people. If they are going to be His people and represent Him to the world, this is how they are to live. The 10 commandments highlight the moral standard of living that God requires, it outlines how they are to interact with God and how they are to interact with others. Anywhere in scripture you read about “the law”, this is what the author is referring to.
Let’s fast forward for a minute to the gospel of Matthew, all these years later Jesus is asked a significant question about the law.
Matthew 22:36-40
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Jesus perfectly sums up all the law with two simple statements, love God and love others. The law was so valuable because for the first time it taught the Israelites how to love God and how to love others. While this was a beautiful moment for the Israelites, it would also be a grim one as now there would be a clear standard for them to be held to. While the law helped them understand how to live, we will see throughout the rest of the Israelites story that it also put a magnifying glass to the sinful nature that still ruled within their hearts, dating back to the fall in Genesis 3. If you remember, the last time God gave a command for someone to follow, it didn’t go very well.
Nonetheless, God gives the law to the Israelites and in Exodus 24, the Israelites agree to their end of the covenant. Moses confirms the covenant with God and the Israelites by sacrificing multiple oxen and eventually sprinkling the blood of the oxen on the people after reading them the law. This has a tremendous implication that will bring another problem to the forefront of the Israelite people. The Israelite men and women are taking an oath to obey the Lord and agreeing that if they don’t, their blood will be spilled just like the oxen’s. Will the Israelite men and women be able to live up to their end of the covenant and obey the Lord? Or will the same sinful heart that led Adam and Eve to rebel prevail within the Israelites’ hearts now?
Questions to consider.
God still wants your life to reflect His goodness and nature through the way you treat Him and those around you, do you think the way you live genuinely reflects who God is to the world around you?
Where do you need to grow more to reflect God’s character better?
The reality is, none of us could live up to God’s standard. This reveals our need for a Savior. Take time and reflect, when you mess up does it cause you to run to Jesus and thank Him for His grace or does it cause you to feel condemned? Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, our sin and shortcomings can be a catapult that launch us towards Jesus reminding us of our great need for Him.
Exodus 20 and the laws that follow in 21, 22 and 23 are crucial to the story of God’s people. This marks the introduction of God’s standard for the Israelite people. If they are going to be His people and represent Him to the world, this is how they are to live. The 10 commandments highlight the moral standard of living that God requires, it outlines how they are to interact with God and how they are to interact with others. Anywhere in scripture you read about “the law”, this is what the author is referring to.
Let’s fast forward for a minute to the gospel of Matthew, all these years later Jesus is asked a significant question about the law.
Matthew 22:36-40
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Jesus perfectly sums up all the law with two simple statements, love God and love others. The law was so valuable because for the first time it taught the Israelites how to love God and how to love others. While this was a beautiful moment for the Israelites, it would also be a grim one as now there would be a clear standard for them to be held to. While the law helped them understand how to live, we will see throughout the rest of the Israelites story that it also put a magnifying glass to the sinful nature that still ruled within their hearts, dating back to the fall in Genesis 3. If you remember, the last time God gave a command for someone to follow, it didn’t go very well.
Nonetheless, God gives the law to the Israelites and in Exodus 24, the Israelites agree to their end of the covenant. Moses confirms the covenant with God and the Israelites by sacrificing multiple oxen and eventually sprinkling the blood of the oxen on the people after reading them the law. This has a tremendous implication that will bring another problem to the forefront of the Israelite people. The Israelite men and women are taking an oath to obey the Lord and agreeing that if they don’t, their blood will be spilled just like the oxen’s. Will the Israelite men and women be able to live up to their end of the covenant and obey the Lord? Or will the same sinful heart that led Adam and Eve to rebel prevail within the Israelites’ hearts now?
Questions to consider.
God still wants your life to reflect His goodness and nature through the way you treat Him and those around you, do you think the way you live genuinely reflects who God is to the world around you?
Where do you need to grow more to reflect God’s character better?
The reality is, none of us could live up to God’s standard. This reveals our need for a Savior. Take time and reflect, when you mess up does it cause you to run to Jesus and thank Him for His grace or does it cause you to feel condemned? Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, our sin and shortcomings can be a catapult that launch us towards Jesus reminding us of our great need for Him.