Godward Thoughts

There are degrees of nearness to God. The people remained at a distance because of their fear of the Lord. Moses, Joshua, Nadab, Abihu, Aaron, and seventy of the elders went up the mountain to meet God. Then Moses and Joshua went further, and finally Moses went into the glory cloud alone.

J. Oswald Sanders wisely commented, “We are at this moment as close to God as we really choose to be.” God invites us to draw near (James 4:8), but often we are unwilling to do what is necessary to meet Him. The people below had the Book and the blood, and they made promises to obey God; but they did not have the vision of the glory of the Lord that Moses had on the mount.

You would think Exodus 24:11 would read, “So they saw God, and they fell down and prayed.” But it says, “They ate and drank.” The vision of God’s glory should not make us careless or impractical. We can eat and drink to His glory (1 Corinthians 10:31). But beware lest nearness to God lead to careless familiarity, for “our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28–29). Nadab and Abihu would find that out (Leviticus 10:1).

Under the old covenant, God’s law was written on tables of stone (Exodus 24:12), but under the new covenant, God writes His word on our hearts (2 Corinthians 3:1–3). As you meditate on the Word, the Spirit makes it a part of your inner being, and you become more like the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Holy Spirit enables us to fulfill the righteous demands of God’s law (Romans 8:1–4).

The first four commandments deal with our relationship with God, while the last six deal with our relationship with others. If we love God and obey Him, we will also love others and serve them (see Matthew 22:34–40).

Some people obey God because of fear (Exodus 20:18–21). Others obey only because they want His blessing. The highest motive for obedience is our love for the Lord. But what if we disobey the Lord? God made provision for Israel in the prescribed sacrifices (Exodus 20:22–26). He has made provision for believers today through the work of Christ (1 John 1:9–2:2). Believers are not under law but under grace. This is not an excuse for sin but an encouragement for loving obedience to His will. Having stated His basic law, God then told Moses how to apply it to specific situations so that everybody would receive equal justice.

The rock pictures Jesus Christ who was smitten for us (1 Corinthians 10:4) that we might have the living water of the Holy Spirit within (John 7:37–39). The Egyptian army had been drowned, but the Amalekites were very much alive and did not want Israel in their territory. It was Esau fighting Jacob again (Genesis 36:12). It takes intercession on the mountain as well as intervention in the valley for God’s people to win the victory. Israel watched God defeat Egypt, but now they had to enter the battle themselves and trust God for victory.

Moses experienced some exciting things after leaving Egypt, but now he returns to the everyday duties of life. God balances our lives and gives us enough burdens to keep us humble and enough blessings to keep us happy. Moses returned to his family, told them all that God had done, and then worshiped the Lord with them. Sometimes an outsider can see things more clearly than those who are doing the work, and we must always be open to counsel (Proverbs 12:15; Proverbs 13:10). Moses was trying to do all the work himself, and he was not making a distinction between major matters and minor problems. He needed assistants, and he needed priorities. Note that Jethro expected Moses to seek God’s will in the matter (Exodus 18:23). What seems like good counsel from men might be bad counsel in God’s sight, so we must always ask for God’s directions (Acts 27:9–14). Exodus 18:21 describes the kind of leaders God needs, people characterized by ability, the fear of God, honesty, and a hatred for covetousness. (See Acts 6:3 for additional leadership qualities.)

Because we belong to God, we must be separated from sin (Exodus 19:10, 14, 22). God’s people are set apart from the world and unto the Lord. To impress the people with the fear of the Lord, God demonstrated His power at Sinai and warned them not to come near. It was the childhood of the nation, and the people, like children, learned from rewards and punishments. Hebrews 12:18–29 contrasts this experience with that of the New Testament believer today. We must still fear the Lord and respect the boundaries He establishes, but we are invited to “draw near” (Hebrews 10:19–25). The Israelites were not saved from Egypt by obeying the Law, but their obedience enabled them to enjoy all the blessings God had for them.

God knew Pharaoh’s plans and saw to it that Israel was cared for. This is providence, which means “to see before.” No matter what the enemy plans to do to you, God has already taken care of it and will tell you what to do. The pillar that brought light to Israel brought darkness to the enemy. The people of the world are walking in darkness, but God’s people have “the light of life” (John 8:12). The enemy cannot touch you without first encountering God. He opens the way and does the impossible. The next time you are in a seemingly impossible situation, remember what God did for Israel at the Red Sea. The people of Israel never forgot this victory (Psalm 66:6; Psalm 106:9; Psalm 136:13–14). Recalling God’s past help can encourage you as you face future challenges to your faith.

The first recorded song in Scripture (Exodus 15) is a pattern for true worship, for it emphasizes the Lord, who He is, and what He has done for His people. He saves His people (Exodus 15:1–10), guides them to their inheritance (Exodus 15:11–13), glorifies His name (Exodus 15:14–17), and reigns forever (Exodus 15:18). Singing is an important part of the Christian life, for it enables us to praise God and bear witness to others. Our praise should come from the Holy Spirit within (Ephesians 5:18–20) and be based on Scripture (Colossians 3:16). In this way, we worship Him “in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).

The people went from rejoicing to complaining! It is easy to sing when the circumstances are comfortable, but it takes faith to sing when you are suffering. God tests us in the everyday experiences of life to see whether we will obey Him. He is able to change our circumstances, but He would rather change us.

God did not rescue them from bondage in order to kill them with hunger! (See Romans 8:31–32) Their real problem was that they still had the old appetite and needed to learn to enjoy the new food God had for them. The manna is a picture of Jesus Christ (John 6:30). The manna came only to Israel, and all it could do was sustain physical life. But the Savior came for the whole world, and He gives spiritual life. If the Jews did not appropriate the manna, they died. Sinners must believe on Jesus Christ to receive life.

Observe the sequence: “a lamb” (Exodus 12:3), “the lamb” (Exodus 12:4), “your lamb” (Exodus 12:5). The Passover lamb is a picture of Jesus Christ who died for the sins of the world (John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:6–7 ). Do you call Him “a Savior,” “the Savior,” or “my Savior” (Luke 1:47)? Jesus is the Perfect Lamb (1 Peter 1:18–19) who had to die to save us. We are saved not by admiring His example or by studying His teaching, but by applying His blood to our own hearts by faith.

God wanted Israel to remember what His hand had done for them (Exodus 13:3,9,14,16), lest in the future they forget to trust Him and serve Him. The setting apart of the firstborn would remind them that the firstborn sons of Israel had been redeemed by the Lord. The annual Passover would remind them to keep their lives pure. When you consider that Jesus Christ has redeemed us by His blood, surely we should give ourselves to Him and obey His Word.

The younger generation cannot know the works of the Lord unless the older generation tells them. The Word of God must control our lips (Exodus 13:9), our eyes, and our hands (Exodus 13:16), and we must share it with others. The Jews took this literally and wore portions of the Law on the forehead and hand, but the Lord was surely speaking in a metaphorical way.

God frees us from bondage, and He also guides us to the inheritance He has prepared for us. His Word is like that pillar of cloud and fire, and He will show us the way if we will trust Him.