It is Settled!

A series of lessons from the Bible

by Howell Lasseter

Israel at Sinai

The children of Israel have arrived in the wilderness of Sinai and camped before the mountain. God gave Moses instructions as to what he was to say to the children of Israel. Notice from Exodus 19:3-6: "Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bear you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel."

Moses was instructed to sanctify the people that day and the next. They were to wash their clothes, and be ready for the Lord to come down on the mount in the sight of all the people. Any who touched the mount, either man or beast, was to be stoned or shot through. Nothing was to live that touched the mount.

The Lord came down to Mount Sinai, and called Moses to come up. Moses was to again warn the people not to break through the boundaries, lest they break through and perish. The Lord then spoke to all the people the words found in Exodus 20:1-17, and Exodus 20:22 through 23:33.

In Exodus 20:4,5, the Lord says, "thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me..."

From Exodus 20:22,23, we find: "And the Lord said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, ye have seen that I talked with you from heaven. Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold" From Exodus 20:22 to 23:33, laws and ordinances were given to Moses and the children of Israel. Then in Exodus 24:1, Moses was called back up the mount with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and 70 of the elders of Israel, and they were to worship afar off. Moses told the children of Israel these things. He wrote them in the book of the covenant. The Israelites offered sacrifices as the Lord commanded. Moses took half the blood from the sacrifice, sprinkled it on the altar, then sprinkled the blood on the people. Moses said, "Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words" (Exodus 24:8). Just as this covenant with the children of Israel was dedicated with blood, so is the covenant that we are to keep with God. In Matthew 26:28, Jesus said, "this is my blood that is shed for many for the remission of sins." Hebrews 9:1-28 shows the New Covenant differed from the old in that it is the blood of Christ that dedicated this New Covenant. Peter says we are redeemed "with the precious blood of Christ..." (1 Peter 1:19). Next week, Moses in the mount.