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The Partial KingdomExodus 19, 20Feb. 23, 2020We have reviewed the Perfect Rule or Kingdom of God in the Garden of Eden. God blessed Adam and Eve and gave them the task of representing his character and his rule on the earth. Then we saw how the kingdom was lost by mistrust and rebellion. After that, God chose one man and one woman, Abraham and Sarah, to start a new nation. That nation would be blessed so that they could channel God’s blessings to others. We are going to see how God’s Kingdom moves forward from Abraham and his descends down to when it gets a partial renewal in the Nation of Israel. That will take us to Mount Sinai, but first we back up. I. Abraham gets a Preview – Genesis 15You have all been to a movie. You know that once you bet in the theater and have your bag of popcorn and your seat, you will get previews of coming attractions. Abraham gets a preview in Genesis 15We spoke of how God called Abraham to count the stars. God said that is how many his descendants would be. Abraham believed and was declared righteous by God.Next, God formally makes a covenant with Abraham. God instructs Abraham, to divide a heifer, a goat, a dove and a pigeon. These haves are laid out so there is a path between them. After a long wait, God walks through the animals by means of the appearance of a fire. This means that God was making an unbreakable promise to Abraham. Only God walked through the animals. God alone will bring about all that will happen.Then God gives Abraham a vision of the future of his people. Let’s read Genesis 15:12-1612?As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep,?and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him.?13?Then the?Lord?said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years?your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved?and mistreated there.?14?But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out?with great possessions.?15?You, however, will go to your ancestors?in peace and be buried at a good old age.?16?In the fourth generation?your descendants will come back here,?for the sin of the Amorites?has not yet reached its full measure.”And so we have the history of Abraham’s descendants; Abraham, then Isaac, then Jacob and then Joseph. Joseph is raised to a powerful place in Egypt so that he can preserve his family from famine in Canaan. They are welcomed at first, until a new king arises in Egypt who is deeply skeptical of the Israelites. So this king enslaves them, oppresses them and abuses them. All in all Israel is in Egypt some 400 years. 70 members of the family went to Egypt but in the 400 years there their numbers grew so that they were a nation – they were more numerous than the stars.Then to save them, a baby is rescued in a basket floating in the Nile River; he is raised as a prince, and then exiled as a wanted man. When Moses is 80, he is called by God to go back to Egypt and to rescue the people. Signs, wonders, plagues and hardships follow until finally Israel is free, on the other side of the red Sea, and on the way to the Land God promised to Abraham 400 years before.II. Israel is Formed into a Nation – Exodus 19:1-8After 3 months of liberation, the nation finds itself at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Here we pick up the story in Exodus 19:1-8On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt—on that very day—they came to the Desert of Sinai.?2?After they set out from Rephidim,?they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain.3?Then Moses went up to God,?and the?Lord?called?to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel:?4?‘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.”7?So Moses went back and summoned the elders?of the people and set before them all the words the?Lord?had commanded him to speak.?8?The people all responded together, “We will do everything the?Lord?has said.”?So Moses brought their answer back to the?Lord.Let me ask you a question. When was Israel saved? Was it not at the Exodus? They were slaves. They were helpless before the power of Egypt to resist. Their children were being killed. Egypt was trying to commit genocide. Then Moses arrived with a walking stick. But God was with Moses and he brought Israel out of Slavery. He led them through the Red Sea to freedom. This rescue is the salvation of Israel.This is significant because their Salvation came before there was a law to know and to keep. Israel did nothing to earn their liberation. God did it all by himself, using his servant Moses.God speaks of it in this way. “You have seen how I carried you on eagle’s wings and brought you to myself.” In our neighborhood we have a few hawks. They are not as large as eagles, but they are pretty impressive birds. There is a small hawk, a Cooper’s hawk, who patrols our neighborhood. Sometimes we have a lot of activity at our bird feeders. On other days there is very little. That is not because the bird seed is bad. It is because the small birds are afraid of the hawk. I have seen this hawk capture a pigeon in flight. I have seen it dive into a bush full of sparrows only to see them scatter in every direction. Israel was rescued by overwhelming power – like eagles wings.God lays before them a path for blessing.v. 5 above said, “5?Now if you obey me fully?and keep my covenant,?then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.”Salvation is from God. Salvation is like riding on Eagles Wings. Then, afterward the live of blessing is when we listen and keep God’s instructions. Then they will be a kingdom of Priests. Not just one or a few of them will be spiritual leaders. All the people can have knowledge of God.As we know from Ephesians 2. It is by grace that we are saved. This grace is from God, not from us. It is a gift. And so we are God’s workmanship. He is forming and shaping us. We are created to do good works that have been prepared for us in advance. First comes Salvation. Then comes living in that blessing.III. God’s Law is Guidance – Exodus 20 I am in danger of beating a point to death, even extinction. That is because we are often taught the opposite. It takes some repetition to counteract an established idea.The misunderstanding is this. The law comes from God. It calls for our obedience. If we keep the law, we will receive salvation.The diagram is three words in this order:Law Obedience SalvationIn the Gospel’s a young man came up to Jesus and asked, “What must I do to receive eternal life.” He had this idea in his head. He even added that he kept the 10 c commandments. He knew the Law. He claimed obedience and he wanted to receive salvation. We hear it in common speech. “God will surely accept me because I am a good person. I have not stolen from anyone, I have not killed anyone.” You may not hear those exact words, but you will hear words like those. Again the idea is that if we keep standards of decency (not lying or cheating or killing) then we will be OK with God (that is a way to describe salvation.)This is misguided. It has never been true. We saw with Abraham that he was “saved” before there was any law to keep. Genesis 15:6 says, “Abram believed and it was credited to him as righteousness.”No the diagram goes the other way. First we are saved from sin’s power, than we receive God’s guidance in the form of instruction, and when we keep those instructions, we can know God’s blessings. The diagram is the opposite.Salvation Law Obedience.This is the order of things in Exodus. God rescued Israel. Then he gives them instructions. Enjoyment of salvation is based on obedience. Frustration in salvation results when we disobey.This is the order we find in the chapter that gives us the 10 commandments. AS we saw, they were saved from Egypt, and then they received instruction. That is the order of the story.Chapter 20 of Exodus contains the 10 Commandments. These are a summary of the entire law. The tables containing the 10 Commandments are contained in the Ark of the Covenant, in the Holy of Holies in the Temple of God.Let’s consider the order. Exodus 20:1-21And God spoke?all these words:2?“I am the?Lord?your God,?who brought you out?of Egypt,?out of the land of slavery.These verses say, “I am the lord your God.” He is already their Lord. He is the one “who brought you of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” He has already saved them.What comes next? The Commandants. So Again we have this order:Salvation Law Obedience.The Law is given so God’s people can live in a way that reflects God’s character.IV. God’s House – PresenceThere is a second gift that follows their rescue from slavery. The first gift is the Law. The second gift is the Tabernacles.Exodus 25 -40 contains details of the Tabernacles, the items that were inside of it, and the procedures for what should happen there.The Tabernacle represents the presence of God.I will be with you. One of the promises of God that repeats through the bible is when God promises to be with his people. God was with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He was with Joseph in Egypt. He was with the children of Israel in the book of Exodus.This is a restoration of something lost in Eden. Do you remember how God came to visit Adam and Eve in the garden? It appears that this kind of close fellowship was something they enjoyed. But after the fall, they covered their bodies and hid in the trees. This blessing was lost. They were sent out of Eden.In Exodus, the presence of God is partially restored. The glory of Israel was not their power or wealth. It was the presence of God with them. God was with Moses. God was with Israel in the wilderness. The Tabernacle travelled with his people. God’s presence was always in their camp.The tabernacle was a tent. It was a mobile place of worship. It was set at the center and all the tribes of Israel were arranged around it. When the moved from place to place, the tabernacle went before them, bundled up and carried to the next location.There was a problem. How was it that God who is pure and sinless could live with an impure and sinful people?That is answered also by the tabernacle.The tabernacle was only entered by means of sacrifices. Only through the blood of animal sacrifice could the people come close. Only by the blood of lambs and other living creatures could the priests offer prayers for the people. Only by the book could the High Priest enter in to the most holy place on the Day of Atonement.Vaughn Roberts, the author of this study, said it this way. “Now that God’s people are under his rule, they are able once more to enjoy his presence. The purpose of redemption is relationship.” P. 73The New Testament tells us that the Old Testament is a paradigm. It is a model of what remains true. So then for usSalvation comes first. It is the work of God. We do not do it or win it or capture it. God gives it to us.The Law, or instruction, follows Salvation. It is not how we get to be God’s children. It is rather telling us how we should live because we are his children.The presence and blessing of God is our highest privilege in life. All your fame falls away in the passage of time. All your money is left behind. But in eternity, what do we have, the unfiltered direct presence of God. Then we will no longer see him indirectly. We will see him as he is.Consider this diagram:SalvationInstructionBlessing and Presence of God. ................
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