Category: Digging in Deeper

Digging in Deeper: Exodus 19:9-15

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“The Lord said to Moses, ‘I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear when I speak with you and will always believe you.’ Moses reported the people’s words to the Lord, and the Lord told Moses, ‘Go to the people and consecrate them tomorrow. They must wash their clothes and be prepared by the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. Put boundaries for the people all around the mountain and say: Be careful that you don’t go up on the mountain or touch its base. Anyone who touches the mountain must be put to death. No hand may touch him; instead he will be stoned or shot with arrows and not live, whether animal or human. When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, they may go up the mountain.’ Then Moses came down from the mountain to the people and consecrated them, and they washed their clothes. He said to the people, ‘Be prepared by the third day. Do not have sexual relations with women.'” (CSB – Read the chapter)

As a parent, one of the things you learn pretty naturally (mostly because you experienced it with your own parents) is that different circumstances require a different tone of voice in order to communicate their relative seriousness. If you’re playing a game or having a casual conversation, you’ll choose a tone of voice that is light and gentle. If your kid is about to run into the street, you are going to use a loud and stern tone. It is vital that they understand how important it is to not run into the road. As God prepared to deliver some incredibly important commands to the people of Israel, He used the equivalent of a really stern voice. Let’s talk about what’s going on here.

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Digging in Deeper: Exodus 19:3-6

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“Moses went up the mountain to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain: ‘This is what you must say to the house of Jacob and explain to the Israelites: “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you will carefully listen to me and keep my covenant, you will be my own possession out of all the peoples, although the whole earth is mine, and you will be my kingdom of priests and my holy nation.” These are the words that you are to say to the Israelites.'” (CSB – Read the chapter)

If you are married, I suspect that you are pretty willing to do the things your spouse asks you to do. Now, I’m assuming on a relatively healthy relationship here, and not one riddled with contempt or else where there is not the presumption of inferiority in one direction or another. Absent that, you are willing to do what each other asks. But this didn’t come out of nowhere. A strong marriage doesn’t come out of nowhere. It takes work, and it starts with both of your making overtures of your commitment to one another. This is how all healthy relationships get started. God wanted a healthy relationship with the people of Israel. He’s made some overtures toward them, and now He’s inviting them into more. Let’s talk about what’s going on here in this foundational passage for our understanding who God is.

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Digging in Deeper: Acts 10:36

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“He sent the message to the Israelites, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ – he is Lord of all.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

While I have ours down pretty well, I don’t really understand the governing system of any other nation very well. From what little I do understand, though, in nations like England, while they have regular elections, they can also have snap elections. This is where the Prime Minister declares that it’s time to have an election. This could be for his own position or the various positions of Parliament. When this happens, the whole “election season” lasts for only about six weeks. Then everything goes back to normal. There are times something like that sounds pretty nice, especially when we have been slowly lumbering toward a presidential election season this coming November for months and it’s still only January. There are ten more months of campaigning ahead of us during which time things are probably only going to get uglier and uglier with national tensions rising more and more along the way. And, in the end, if things stay on the course they have been riding this whole time, we are going to wind up with an essentially binary choice between two options that at least by survey, most of the country doesn’t want either of. What fun. With the first round of primary voting officially behind us this week, I thought we would reflect together for a few minutes today on this whole scene and how we should be thinking about it. Let’s talk some politics.

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Digging in Deeper: Exodus 18:19-23

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“Now listen to me; I will give you some advice, and God be with you. You be the one to represent the people before God and bring their cases to him. Instruct them about the statutes and laws, and teach them the way to live and what they must do. But you should select from all the people able men, God-fearing, trustworthy, and hating dishonest profit. Place them over the people as commanders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. They should judge the people at all times. Then they can bring you every major case but judge every minor case themselves. In this way you will lighten your load, and they will bear it with you. If you do this, and God so directs you, you will be able to endure, and also all these people will be able to go home satisfied.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

The commands of the Old Testament aren’t for us who follow Jesus today. I’ve been making that point nearly every chance I get for a couple of years now. The idea isn’t original to me by any stretch, but it is one I’ve been confirmed in thinking a number of times, most notably from the author of Hebrews. One prominent pastor makes the same point using the now infamous argument that we need to “unhitch” our faith from the Old Testament. He’s pretty widely and wildly misunderstood in this, causing him, I suspect, no small amount of grief, but the point is nonetheless valid. Yet while the Old Testament doesn’t offer direct application for our lives, it does offer plenty of wisdom worth heeding. What we see here is one of those times. Let’s talk about the advice Moses got when he was wearing himself out trying to lead Israel all on his own, and what it might mean for us.

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Digging in Deeper: Galatians 3:27-29

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“For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. If you are a student or work for a state or federal employer, or a bank, or any one of a number of other places, I hope you get to enjoy your day off. Other than one of our Founding Fathers or Abraham Lincoln, it is hard to imagine another American from our entire history who is more celebrated than King. He’s the only person in our history who has a day named after him. Washington and Lincoln used to have their own days, but those got rolled into President’s Day more generally which is really too bad because all of our Presidents are not equally worth celebrating, but that’s for another time. That all being said, King is rightly given his own day because of the absolutely invaluable contribution he made to our nation. We would not be who we are without his tireless labor to advance the cause of Civil Rights for all people, but especially black people in a day when racism ruled in the hearts of far too many people. Let’s reflect for just a minute on King’s vision, what gave it substance, and how we’re doing with achieving it today.

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