God's Holy Nation
The Story of the Old Testament: Exodus • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Prayer
Formation of a People
This past May there were state politicians in Texas tried to get a bill passed that would require every public school in Texas to post the Ten Commandments. It passed the Texas state Senate, but not the House of Representatives.
I have to admit I was surprised to hear about the attempt to pass this bill, because honestly, I thought this was an idea that would not be revisited. I remember years ago lots of debate about the posting of the Ten Commandments on public property - in schools, in courthouses, city halls, etc.
Having the Ten Commandments posted on public property used to be common place decades ago, it was generally accepted - but as the Christian culture here in the United States has diminished in its impact, that was challenged more and more on the basis of that you couldn’t have the government favoring one religion (two, really) in favor of other religious beliefs.
That makes sense, I can see the argument against it - but what about for it? Why would you want to post the Ten Commandments in public places? Those who proposed the bill argued that it was a reflection of our religious heritage that should be remembered and honored.
But it’s no doubt that the underlying reason to post them is that the Ten Commandments are a moral framework, they brilliantly encapsulate how we should live - in relationship to God and to one another.
I would argue that the Ten Commandments are THE moral framework, the way all of us, regardless of religious beliefs, are to live. It summarizes the essential relational duties and obligations between God and us, as well as between people.
As we continue this morning in our journey through the Old Testament, in the book of Exodus, I want to take a step back to put this morning’s story (that of God giving the Ten Commandments to his people) in the context of the bigger story of the Bible.
All the way back to Genesis - remember that in Genesis 1 & 2, we see how God created the heavens and the earth, he made it all good - in fact, very good. And that he created us as human beings in his image, to reflect his character, and to be in loving relationship with him and with one another.
That took a terrible turn in Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve rejected what God wanted, they sinned - this event, sin entering the world, is what we call the Fall. Things got worse from there, as we saw evil permeate - Cain killing his brother, Abel, the world becoming so terrible that God destroyed it with a flood, sparing only Noah and his family on the ark.
As the world repopulated, God then enacted his plan of redeeming it by choosing one man, Abraham, and establishing a covenant with him to make of him a great nation, a nation through whom all other nations would be blessed. God would make a people that belonged to him, that were faithful and obedient to him.
We saw that promise passed down to Isaac, then to Jacob, then the whole family moved down to Egypt, where they remained for 430 years, growing in number to become a nation, but also experiencing the scourge of slavery.
Of course, as we’ve made our way through Exodus over the last few months, we’ve seen God bring his people out of the land of Egypt, into the wilderness, so they could begin to claim the land that God had promised them.
And I remind you of all that because what’s essential to understanding all this is God’s promise to make a great nation out of this people, out of Abraham’s descendants - a people who, because they lived in obedience to him, would show the rest of the world the greatness of God, be a blessing to them.
So, essential element of this story is God’s shaping and forming his people. We saw that even last week, with how particularly God provided them food in the wilderness, the manna, bread from heaven - because what he wanted them to learn was to trust him by being obedient to him, to his word (remember, our primary verse: man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God).
Well, that shaping and forming continues in our story this morning - this is, after all, the Ten Commandments, which formed the moral framework for how the Israelites were to live.
God makes this clear in Exodus 19:4-6, when he begins to set the stage for giving them the Ten Commandments. Listen to what God says as he speaks to Moses: “‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”
First of all, God makes clear that this was his doing - you saw what I did in Egypt, how I carried you on eagles’ wings. But notice how he finishes that thought - and brought you to myself. It wasn’t just bringing them out of Egypt, out of slavery, it was bringing them to himself. I brought you to be my people (and for me to be your God).
Then he invites them into that relationship - which, like every relationship, binds us in one degree or another, put duties and obligations on us - he says, “now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant” - in other words, if you choose to live into this agreement, this binding covenant relationship - you don’t have to, but if you do - for your part it requires obedience to all I teach you. That’s what it means to acknowledge me as the Lord God.
Notice what he says next, this is essential - if you do this, out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Even though all the world belongs to me, you’ll be set apart - you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
When Moses brings this covenant agreement to the people, they readily agree - Exodus 19:8, The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.
The Covenant
Before we get to the actual covenant, the Ten Commandments, I want to set the stage, because how God does this communicates how serious this is.
First, God comes down. He doesn’t send an emissary, he is coming himself to “sign” the agreement - Exodus 19:9: The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.”
Then, the people had to prepare themselves. They had to make themselves presentable. After all, you don’t go to a big, important event without preparing yourselves. God tells Moses to tell the people to wash their clothes. Clean up! They have to abstain from sexual relations.
Then, no one is to come near the mountain - man or animal. They are not to even touch the mountain that God is going to come down on and give the covenant. If they do, they are to be stoned to death. God wants to make sure the people know, this is a holy moment, this is sacred. Don’t dare take this lightly.
And if that didn’t make it clear enough, listen to what happens on the mountain when the time finally comes, Exodus 19:16-19 - On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. 17 Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. 19 As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.
You’d have to be the biggest fool in the world to touch that mountain at that time. Dark thick clouds, thunder and lightning, fire with smoke billowing up, the mountain trembling…God means business. You would have felt the weight of what was happening here, of the power and majesty of God, why you are to fear him, reverential awe.
That’s the setting for the giving of the Ten Commandments - everything about it is to communicate the greatness of God, and why they should take this covenant seriously, why they should obey him fully.
In Exodus 20, we get the covenant itself. It is an agreement, a binding agreement, with expectations and obligations on both sides. Quick note here - this covenant is the basis of why we call the Old Testament, the Old Testament, this is God’s original covenant with his people, before the new covenant with Jesus. This covenant lays out what they people are to do. There’s so much here, rather than go into each commandment (we could do a sermon on each one), I want to give an overview, to try to convey what God is doing here, how he is shaping and forming his people, to be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.
First of all, what does it mean to be a kingdom of priests? A priest was an intermediary, intercedes between God and people, prays for the people, offers sacrifices on behalf of the people. To bless the people. God is making them into a kingdom, an entire people through whom others would be blessed - this was to be the nation through which all other nations are to be blessed.
What does it mean to be a holy nation? Same principle, to be holy is to be set apart, sacred, not for common use, but rather, set apart for God’s purposes, to accomplish his good will (which is to bring his blessing to all the nations). Which is why it was so essential that they obey these laws, so they would live differently from all the other nations around them, displaying the goodness of God in how they lived.
So, here it is, here’s the covenant God made with the Israelites, Exodus 20:1-17: And God spoke all these words: 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. 8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.“ “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 13 “You shall not murder. 14 “You shall not commit adultery. 15 “You shall not steal. 16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
A few notes - an agreement in the vein of ancient royal treaties, kings would make with their people - we see that aspect in the way God starts…I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery
Covenant addresses our two main relationships - with God, with others. Jesus’ summary of the Ten Commandments is the greatest commandments, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your soul and with all your strength. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself. The Ten Commandments lay out what it looks like to love and honor God and others.
First four commands address our relationship with God, and it emphasizes two main principles - one, is that God be the absolute priority of our lives, our first love, our great devotion, above everything and everyone else. You shall have no gods before me. Keep the Sabbath day holy - be sure to devote time to God. God is worth keeping a day holy, set apart, just for him, to focus your attention on him. And the second main principle is that you should not reduce or diminish or replace God in any way - focus on no images, how you talk about God.
The last six commands speak to how we relate to one another, our obligations and honoring of one another as those created in the image of God.
All of this is God forming and shaping us toward the good, to be like him, to be his holy nation. I want to spend a few moments helping us to imagine what it would look like if we embraced God’s goodness, this covenant...
People who honored God as God, lived in complete accord with reality, as creatures to the Creator - give ourselves to the God who is the source of all truth and beauty and goodness. Because what you pursue and give your attention and devotion to will begin to define you - why God is alone worthy of all our glory and honor.
because the opposite always involves making lesser things our gods, which never ends up well (ourselves…money, wealth…our careers, personal success…a cause, no matter how righteous or just…).
If we honored the Sabbath, we’d be rested, not stressed out…wouldn’t be seeking our significance in what we do
Then to even try to imagine how good everything would be in a nation where everyone lived in obedience to the Ten Commandments in how we related to each other
Honoring of Father and Mother…is all about honoring those set in authority to us, practicing mutual submission
Do not murder - Culture where we built each other up, treated one another as those who bear the image of God. We wouldn’t live in fear of being harmed, rejected or mocked.
Do not commit adultery - marriages being honored, people staying married, children being raised by their biological parents living in loving commited relationship…
Whole industries would disappear…porn…sexually transmitted disease…abortion issue…child sex trafficking
You shall not steal or cheat - never having to lock your door or your house, no alarm systems, no worries about which emails you clicked on
I just an article where a pharmacy was looking up their frozen food section - pizza and ice cream. Costs would go down…police force would diminish, legal system (a lot of lawyers would have to find other work - wouldn’t need huge contracts with such technical language trying to cover every way people try to cheat or scam).
No false testimony - people speaking the plain, honest truth
Rather than coveting, we’d be people living with contentment, free from mad rush for more and more, bigger and better and newer and nicer (Lottery wouldn’t exist). More than contentment, gratitude for the wonderful and faithful provisions of God.
What a nation that would be! A holy nation, a kingdom of priests - what a blessing we would be towards each other.
Be Those People - 1 Peter 2:9 - But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
We are those people, God’s chosen people, his royal priesthood (kingdom of priests), his holy nation. We are the ones who have been blessed with new life through Jesus (called out of the darkness into his marvelous light) so that we may proclaim the excellencies, or the praises of God, to bless others, so that they, too, may know the new life that comes through Jesus Christ.
This requires our willingness to trust God, to live in obedience to what we teaches - to grow and progress in holiness, to be set apart in how we live.
Offer just one spiritual discipline today…reference the Essential Tenets of our denomination, ECO, Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians: As we practice the discipline of regular self-examination and confession, we are especially guided by the Ten Commandments.
Idea is to hold up the Ten Commandments as that moral framework on how we are to live, guided by the Holy Spirit, to prayerfully consider how we have lived in relationship with God (worshiped him alone, living all life to his glory, how have we imagined and thought and spoken about God, how have we kept the Sabbath - honored it as a day holy to the Lord, a day of worship and rest?). And on - treated those in authority, have we treated others in a spirit of kindness, building them up - or have we lived out a spirit of anger, resentment, callousness, diminishing and harming others. Have we practiced right stewardship of all the goods we have been given, showing charity to those in need? Have we pursued truth, and spoken the plain, honest truth?
Put into daily practice (perhaps in the evening), a time of self-examination and confession...
So that we might be those people, God’s chosen race, his royal priesthood, his holy nation, a people who belong to him.