2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
After Moses had shared a series of exacting instructions from God with the Jewish people on such subjects as altars, treatment of slaves, violent acts, owner’s responsibilities, repayment, moral and religious practices, justice and fairness, keeping the Sabbath, celebrating festivals, and of course, the Ten Commandments [EX 20-23], it was time to seal this covenant of the law between God and mankind. We continue our discussion of covenants with an examination of the sealing of this covenant from EX 24: 1-11, as God leads us to better understand the righteousness, gravity, and importance to us of covenants, especially those with Him. EX 24: 1, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Come up the mountain to Me, you and Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy leaders of Israel; and while you are some distance away, bow down in worship.’” [Nadab and Abihu were Aaron’s sons, who like him, were priests from the tribe of Levi].
We can see a lesson in this before we even go any further. A friend of mine who was talking about prayer at the time, said, “I approach praying as if I was approaching the throne of the Lord.” God is commanding that is exactly what He wanted these priests and Jewish leaders to do. It’s what He wants all of us to do. We wouldn’t approach the throne of a king talking loudly, running toward it, or with any other form of disrespect. God surely wouldn’t want us to approach Him with anything less than humility, reverence, and awe for His very authority over our lives. Once God’s throne is approached, He wants us to quiet down and listen to what He has to say. This is exactly what Moses had to have done to hear and remember all of God’s commands which he was to relay accurately to the people. EX 24: 3-4, “Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s commands and all the ordinances, and all the people answered together, ‘We will do everything that the Lord has said.’ Moses wrote down all the Lord’s commands. Early the next morning he built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stones, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel.”
We don’t set up stones or build an altar in the way that was done in ancient Israel today, but it’s just as important to God that we show Him respect, remember the covenant we have with Him, and take our commitment seriously as it ever was. The most important covenant we have with Him is the covenant of grace. Our way of reminding ourselves of this important commitment is to take the sacrament as Christ outlined it and it is described by Paul in 1 COR 11: 23-26. God’s part was that He gave us His Son on the cross so that we could be saved and added to that the gift of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Our part is that we are to live “in Christ” with righteousness, repentance of our sins, and make Him the Lord of our lives. Instead of building stone altars to remind ourselves of this covenant, we are to live it all of our lives.
EX 24: 5-6, “Then he sent young men and they burned sacrifices to the Lord and sacrificed some cattle as fellowship offerings. Moses took half of the blood of the animals and put it in bowls; and the other half he threw against the altar.” HE 10: 3-4, “As it is, however, the sacrifices serve year after year to remind people of their sins. For the blood of bulls and goats can never take away sins.” HE 10: 9-10, “Then He [Christ] said, ‘Here I am, O God, to do Your will.’ So God does away with all the old sacrifices and puts the sacrifice of Christ in their place. Because Jesus Christ did what God wanted Him to do, we are all purified from sin by the offering that He made of His own body once and for all.” Christ’s sacrifice is a propitiation for all mankind’s sin [RO 3: 25], one that satisfies God’s thirst for righteousness. He is also the fulfillment of the Law [RO 10: 4], everyone who believes in Him is put right with God. Since His sacrifice was a once for all one, there is no need for animal sacrifices any more.
EX 24: 7-8, “Then he [Moses] took the book of the covenant in which the Lord’s commands were written, and read it aloud to the people. They said, ‘we will obey the Lord and do everything He has commanded.’ Then Moses took the blood in the bowls and threw it on the people. He said, ‘This is the blood that seals the covenant which the Lord made with you when He gave all these commands.’” It still applies today that blood must be spilled for forgiveness to be available from God. The principles for this are set down in LV 17: 11 and HE 9: 22. Christ’s blood shed on the cross fulfilled this necessary element to seal the covenant of grace. EX 24: 11, “God did not harm these leading men of Israel; they saw God, and then they ate and drank together.” The disciples saw God when they saw Christ [JN 14: 9, 11]. They ate and drank together too. When we take the sacrament, that is what we are doing. It is my deepest heartfelt hope that we will all break bread together at the wedding feast of the Lamb [REV 19: 5-10] sooner that we think.
PRAYER: O Lord, You have shown us here in this contrast between the sealing of the covenant of the law and the covenant of grace how Your teachings and requirements of us have remained consistent, fair, and just throughout mankind’s history. You are a wise Parent for Your children, Who issues relatively few laws and repeats them over and over again, so that we (who do not have Your wisdom or perspective) can learn them and obey them well. Those of us who take the time to really study both the OT and the NT can see the magnificent connections that exist between them. We are allowed to see how so many of the events and stories of the OT foreshadow those of the NT. You are a gracious God Who makes it possible for us to be saved through the death of Your Son, guided by the Holy Spirit, and take comfort in knowing that with faith, we will enjoy fellowship and joy eternally with You. We express heartfelt devotion to You and humbly offer You our worship, adoration, loyalty, trust, obedience, glory, honor, praise, and thanks. In Christ’s name, amen.
I am commanded to write more on the covenant of grace tomorrow. If you examine what God has given me to say to you today, His love will be evident in every word of it. His love for each of us has been present from the day He created us and will remain with those of us who are trusting and obedient for eternity. That is grace plain and simple, and we are blessed enough to be able to receive it. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn