“….we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain…” Hebrews 10:19-20
With the Red Sea closed in behind them, there is now no turning back for Israel. They have been delivered from the slavery in Egypt and have passed on dry ground through the Red Sea which now separates them from their slavery and former way of life.
The nation of Israel had a front row seat to an incredible display of God’s power over the gods of Egypt. Israel didn’t need to do a thing except to depend upon the work of God to protect them from death and free them from their captivity. When they came to the Red Sea, it was God’s power and God’s might that rolled the waters back and made the escape possible, Israel was only asked to move through the sea, breaking with the world behind them. Do we recognize our life in this? This is exactly what God asks of us. He is calling us to break with the world behind, giving up our old self and moving forward, giving our life into the care and trust in God’s plan before us. Giving him our life as His own. The apostle Peter captures this beautifully in 1 Peter 3:21, “and this water symbolizes the baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God”. We pledge the leaving of our old way of life in commitment to a life of following God. Our conscience is clear, the old way of life (with all its ugly history) removed. Life anew.
As Israel starts their journey in the desert, the grumbling begins. The lack of food and water makes them remember the “great life” they had in Egypt where they were worked ruthlessly. Notice the provision of God as he nourishes them with water made sweet and daily bread from heaven. In the infancy of their new life on this side of the sea, Israel still does not understand the power with them. We wonder as we read how this nation delivered with such power from Egypt would so soon forget the slavery and turmoil their life left behind. We must be careful here as we also can be guilty of this same doubt as we remember the cravings of the ‘slavery’ we have left behind instead of looking forward to promises of the new life ahead. The New Testament frequently refers to the life of new Christians as being that of infancy, needing milk instead of solid food. “Milk” provided by God as he nurtures us as we still look back at the lives we left behind, instead of the “solid food” of walking faithfully forward (Hebrews 5:11-14).
Israel arrives at Sinai. A place where God spends a year with His people, giving them the “Law” and teaching them of Himself. His Law is written in stone, unchangeable and perfectly good as He is perfectly unchangeable and good. We learned in Lesson 4 in the call of Abraham and his vision, how God made a covenant with him in the form of a Suzerain Treaty, walking between the animals cut in two. The Law provided here and detailed in the book of Deuteronomy, follows the pattern of the written portion of this covenant treaty. Again, I will point you to the following link (Suzerain Treaties & Covenant Documents the Bible) so you can study more about the relationship of this portion of Exodus and Deuteronomy to this type of covenant.
The Law given here at Sinai emphasizes the holiness of God and His requirements for a Holy nation. Non-Christians (as well as many who believe) tend to view these Laws as restrictive, but this perspective is a clouded view of their intended purpose. Deuteronomy 4:5-8 describes these laws as “righteous decrees”, a “demonstration of wisdom and understanding to the other nations”, and “God being near to them”.
Deuteronomy 4:5-8: 5 “Look, I now teach you these decrees and regulations just as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy. 6 Obey them completely, and you will display your wisdom and intelligence among the surrounding nations. When they hear all these decrees, they will exclaim, ‘How wise and prudent are the people of this great nation!’ 7 For what great nation has a god as near to them as the Lord our God is near to us whenever we call on him? 8 And what great nation has decrees and regulations as righteous and fair as this body of instructions that I am giving you today?
I cannot help but wonder the fear as the rest of Israel waits at the base of Sinai while Moses ascends this mountain at God’s command. A mountain roaring with thunder and lightning, and fully ablaze with the fire and dense smoke because of the Lord’s descent onto it (Exodus 19:18). We, like Israel come before a Holy God with trembling and fear as we realize our disobedience before Him, our inability to obey fully the commands of a Holy God. Romans 3 teaches us that “we are held accountable to obedience to the law and also….no one is righteous through keeping the Law”. But, we cannot stay there with fear and trembling, we must read further in the passage. I urge you here and now to take a couple minutes in reflection and prayer the following verses from Romans 3 and Hebrews 12 as we recognize the magnitude of the grace we receive. Notice specifically how, in each of these passages, the judgement of the ‘Law’ is transformed to ‘freedom’ in Christ!
Romans 3:19-25: 19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.
Hebrews 12:18-24: 18 You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai. 19 For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking. 20 They staggered back under God’s command: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” 21 Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, “I am terrified and trembling.”
22 No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. 23 You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. 24 You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.
After receiving the 10 Commandments at Sinai, we then move forward to God providing the detailed instructions for the construction of the tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant. Hebrews teaches us Moses was instructed to build this tabernacle exactly according to the plan God gave him as this was a a shadow (or replica) of the true tabernacle in heaven (Hebrews 8:1-4). This tabernacle was where a Holy God could dwell with man while protecting them from his holiness. Notice specifically, a curtain (with cherubim woven into the fabric) separating the room called the holy of holies. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would enter to offer sacrifices for the people, cleansing everything with blood as he entered. Behind the curtain, the Ark of the Covenant was located. This ark contained: the Law given to Moses, Aarons budded staff and a jar of manna. It had 2 cherubim made of gold on the head and foot of the cover. Between these God would appear. Whenever we see separation between God and man, these cherubim are there. We find them in the Garden of Eden, in the curtain, and on the Ark of the Covenant.
Everything about that room points to Christ. The tablets of stone given to Moses were the tablets of the ‘old covenant law’, as Christ fulfils the requirements of the Law (Matthew 5:17-18) and through His blood, establishes a ‘new and better covenant’ (Hebrews 9 ). Aarons budded staff indicating God’s chosen High Priest, as Christ is the ‘Great High Priest’ (Hebrews 4). A jar of manna, as Christ is the ‘Bread of Life given from God’.
It is so amazing that through Christ’s offering of atonement, the curtain is torn (separating the cherubim on the curtain), the ark containing the Law no longer holds any judgment of us, and the tree of life and promised rest in the Garden is once again made available! Hallelujah!
A full year later, Israel sets out on their journey to the Promised Land with God leading the way through a pillar of smoke. Upon arrival, at the borders of the land, Moses (at God’s instruction) sends out 12 spies (a man from each tribe of Israel) to explore the land to see what it is like, to bring back samples of the land, find out about the people (strong, weak, few, many), find out about the towns (walled or unprotected). In this mission and ensuing report, all the spies report on the good land, a land flowing with milk and honey, but 10 of the spies are overwhelmed with the strength of the Canaanite people and the fortification of their cities. Their conclusion… “We cannot attack those people” (Numbers 13:31).
Sadly, only Joshua and Caleb show their faith in God. They focused on what God could do “let’s go at once to take the land, we certainly can conquer it” (Numbers 13:10). They saw the report of the other spies as a lack of faith and rebellion against God. Interesting how Joshua and Caleb refer to the people of Canaan as having no protection (before an all-powerful God) where the rest of the nation focuses on how big, strong and powerful the people of Canaan were. Notice the irony here as the nation reaches the point of being willing to stone the two that trust God’s strength. As Joshua and Caleb stand completely ‘unprotected’ before them, God demonstrates his faithfulness in His protection by appearing before the nation.
The sentence for their lack of faith is severe; no one in the assembly over the age of 20 will ever enter the Promised Land. Hebrews 3:12-19 clearly describes them as having a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. An assembly experiencing God’s powerful delivery from Egypt, now destined for destruction in the desert, with Joshua and Caleb being the only ones over 20 years of age surviving.
Once again, it is by faith and faith alone we enter the land and conquer death. Praise God!