At the Mountain : Exodus 19 & 20

At the mountain, Israel discovered that God wanted far more than just a nation to 'sponsor' or bless. He wanted to treasure them, be accessible to them, be a Father to them and shape them in his own likeness. It is a deep and extensive work God wants to do in us and trust (faith) in him is at the heart of it.

Obedience is the proof of trust

After 3 months in the wilderness, Israel reached Mt Sinai and camped there. God spoke audibly to Moses from the mountain (3). God proposed an arrangement (a covenant) to bless Israel, on the condition that they trusted him (5). God would own and take care of Israel as long as they maintained faith in him. Faith is trust and the evidence of trust is willingness to do what the one you are trusting says. Trusting your dad is that when he said to jump off the boat into his arms, you believed he would save you from sinking, even though you couldn’t swim yet. So following the instructions of the one you trust is the evidence of your faith – you’re not claiming to earn his help because you are obeying his instructions. You are obeying his instructions because you trust him and you are expecting him to do for you what he promised.

A set of promises

God told Israel through Moses:

1. You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians. Be warned, Israel, because you have been witnesses to my judgement. You saw what I did to the mighty nation of Egypt when they opposed me – you know that I judge disobedience (4).

2. How I bore you on eagles' wings. Israel, you have experienced my miraculous deliverance out of Egypt like an eagle lifting up her young and carrying them out of danger (4).

3. And brought you to myself. You have experienced how reliable is my calling and my promise because I have brought you to the place where you could meet with me and worship me (4).

4. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant. Now, Israel, to participate in my blessings you must commit to obey my word and trust my commitment to you (5).

5. You shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine. My commitment to you is that you shall be my treasured possession, ahead of all nations; and I have the right to choose you because I own everything (5).

6. You shall be to me a kingdom of priests. Israel, you will be like priests, having access to me at all times. I will make myself known to you (6).

7. And a holy nation. I will make you a holy nation, set apart for my blessings and set apart to share my holy character (6).

There is a very close match between this covenant and the one that Jesus Christ brought in (the New Covenant/Testament). 1 Cor 11.25: In the same way also Jesus took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.” The gospel of Jesus Christ covers the same ground as the covenant at Mt. Sinai. Sinai foreshadowed what Christ would perfectly complete by his sacrifice for sin and his resurrection.

1. The gospel warns us of the danger of resisting God - by pointing out his judgements against rebellious sinners. (When the Spirit comes he will convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgement Jn 16.8)

2. The gospel points out the evidence of God’s patient kindness towards us and his many acts of deliverance of us while we were still sinners – giving us time to come to repentance. (Do you not know that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? Rom 2.4)

3. The gospel shows God’s persistence in bringing us to a definite point in our lives where we face up to him. (The Lord is not slow to fulfil his promise, but is patient towards you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 Peter 3.9. Today if you hear his voice do not harden your heart. Look, now is the favourable time. Right now is the day of salvation. 2 Cor 6.) God not only redeems us (brings us out of slavery) but he also adopts us (takes us in as his own children). Galatians 4.10: to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

4. The gospel reminds us that obedient faith is the only way we can share in God’s blessings. (And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11.6)

5. The gospel reveals to us that God will take us as his own children; to be separated from the kingdom of darkness and transferred safely into his kingdom of light. (God has delivered us from the rule of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of is beloved Son, in whom we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1.13,14)

6. The gospel gives us open access to God and close relationship with him through the Holy Spirit. (Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and grace to help us in our time of need. Heb 4.16)

7. The gospel assures us that we will become holy as God is holy. (As he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written: ‘Be holy, for I am holy’. 1 Peter 1.16)

Looking beyond blessings

The highest value of God’s arrangement with Israel was not the protection from enemies, not the assurance of food supplies, not the promise of long peaceful lives or even the occupation of the most beautiful and productive land on earth. The highest value of this arrangement was to be in safe relationship with God! The pinnacle of the blessing (the blessing that all the other blessings served) was to know God and become like him in character! And this is where Israel would fall down. All of them, except those who responded by faith, had their eyes on the blessings that would allow them space to follow their own interests; God himself was not their highest treasure.

Forgiveness is wonderful. Deliverance from our enemies is something to celebrate. Overcoming temptation is a release. Having daily provisions is a relief. The anticipation of eternal life is exciting. But, as good as each of even these blessings is, they are just part of the chorus that sings praise to the Blessing Par Excellence: Christ! The person overwhelmed by guilty feelings or by a sense of extreme anxiety or weakness, may long to escape that pressure; but that relief (good though it is) is meant to drop the scales of our blindness so we can see that Jesus Christ is Supreme. The gospel not only opens our eyes, it fills our vision with Jesus Christ. We see him everywhere; in all things, under all things, over all things, behind all things and through all things!

If I were an orphan, blind from birth and living in a squalid refugee camp, the sudden healing of my blindness would not improve my living conditions – it might even make me more distressed. But what if, as my blindness was healed and as the bandages were unwrapped from my eyes, I saw the face of the doctor who then embraced me and told me that from now on I was his son and he would be taking me out of this place to live with him? We need to see beyond blessings to the one who blesses – that is where the blessings are leading us.

Showing off God’s character in our lives

Moses reported the Lord’s words to the people and they gave their agreement to obey and trust God (8). God then instructed Moses to have the people clean themselves up and to stand reverently and quietly at the foot of the mountain so that they too could hear God’s voice directly as he announced his first commands to them. They had said YES to his covenant and now they were to receive the commandments that required their faith and obedience.

The mountain shook and the fire, smoke and lightning announcing God’s presence was felt and heard. A heavenly trumpet blast grew to a crescendo. These awesome sights and sounds sent a shiver through the people as they stood exposed and over-awed at the foot of the mountain. God called Moses alone up onto the mountain (20) where he was warned not to let any of the people set foot on the mountain itself. Moses went down to make sure that the people remained at the limits set for them. Then the voice of God began declaring his commands to this people who had committed to obey and trust him.

The 10 commandments are a summary of all the more detailed instructions for Israel’s worship of God and their national life that followed.

1. No other gods may be set up in competition with God – because he delivered Israel from Egyptian slavery and Israel exists only because God has declared his ownership and protection of them.

2. No images of anything may be made for inspiration or worship – because to do so is to challenge God who blesses the faithful and judges those who set up idols.

3. God’s name may never be used without recognising who he is – it may not be attached to anything or any project without actual dependence on him to work – it may not be used insincerely or without faith in him – because God will judge the person who uses his name in any shallow or empty manner.

4. The seventh day is a Sabbath – because God’s people must always remember that it is God’s power and blessing that provides for them.

5. Parents must be treated with respect – and in this way their society will endure and their lives will be long.

6. Do not murder.

7. Do not commit adultery.

8. Do not steal.

9. Do not tell lies to get advantage over others.

10. Do not be greedy for the things or lifestyle of others.

These commands show how God’s holiness must be reflected in the daily lives of his people. God is not interested in pretending that we are his children; he intends that we should demonstrate our family likeness by our actions. If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, then your daily life will reflect the character of your God! 1 John 3.10. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

On hearing these commands from the voice of God as they stood at the foot of the mountain, the response of the people was fear. They backed off (18) and begged Moses to act as their go-between with God. They felt that if they God continued to speak to them, they would die. It seems that the strength, truth, total holiness and conviction with which God spoke, caused them to feel that their own lives were draining away. Standing in the presence of one so substantial and so insistent made them too conscious of their mortality and shallowness. They were trembling uncontrollably and shrinking away from the foot of the mountain. This entire event sparked a fear of God that was intended to kindle a fear of sinning against him.

The people fell back but Moses drew near. The more of the world and its thinking that has room in our lives, the greater the distance we will want to maintain between ourselves and God – because we will sense the opposition between our preferences and HIS will. The more our eyes are opened up to the beauty of Christ’s holiness, his purpose, his vision, his zeal for righteousness – the closer we will want to be to him. That closeness is expressed in the way we open our minds up in readiness to be taught from his Word; the way we pray at all times about everything; the way we delight in doing everything in the name of Jesus Christ and living to a quality that pleases him; the way we eagerly discover how he is adding people to his church and growing the whole Body; and the way we worship him.

Running down the path of God’s commands

If we see the Bible and the 10 Commandments as instructions to be followed so as to attract God’s blessing - we have missed the point. The Scriptures, including these commands, are lighted pathways for us to run along. They are lit from the other end. They lead to Christ who is at the centre of everything God intends for his creation. Christ is the source of light. On these lit paths we have fellowship with him. (I am the way). It is not enough to recognise good teaching or value the Bible. We must follow those paths to the Light himself. This is the goal: We want to walk in the light, as he is in the light. We want to be in worshipful, loving, excited, mind-expanding, heart-satisfied relationship with Jesus Christ at all times.

Comparing two mountains

Jesus Christ has taken the Mt Sinai event to another level. The themes are the same for us, but the blessings are now more precise and the object of our faith (him!) is more clearly revealed.

Hebrews 12.18-29

For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

The person writing to the Hebrew Christians (people who were in danger of growing lukewarm and drifting away from their faith) contrasts the two mountains: Sinai and God’s hill (Mt Zion - the New Jerusalem – God’s Kingdom). The same God was behind both and his pure, fiery righteousness is unchanged. But the advantage (and greater responsibility) we face since Christ came, is that the blood of Christ does not demand retribution on us sinners – it declares the availability of forgiveness to all who will trust and obey. Christ does not command us to stand back from the mountain. He beckons us to come close to himself. Which fool will take lightly Christ’s gracious appeal and risk facing a fire that burns up the shallow and disobedient? Who will ignore the Mediator who can make things right for us with God? (Unmediated holiness is consuming. Mediated holiness is comforting.)

Both Mt Sinai and Mt Zion (God’s hill) call us to face up to God, the judge of all, and receive his grace. His grace is received by faith. We stand in his grace; we are in secure relationship with God in his grace. Romans 5.1,2 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

TOUCHING THE THRONE Exodus 17.8-16

Christ wants you to win. NOT that cheesy, plastic smile, shiney car, money-in -the-bank winning – but that Christ-exalting, deep-down-joy, full of life winning!

Picked Off

Israel moved into the desert under watchful and suspicious eyes. The tribes and nations of the region were watching to see whether Israel posed a threat or an opportunity for easy plunder. Amalek was the first to strike.

The evil one stalks Christians. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him; firm in your faith. 1 Peter 5.8. The whole world lies in the hands of the evil one (1 Jn 5.19), therefore it is not benign and neutral towards the righteous. We need protection; and we’ve got it! (God’s armour). We need a strategy; and we’ve got it! (God’s plans).We need power; and we’ve got it! (God’s Spirit). God has equipped us to resist the devil. In spite of the devil’s superior power over you personally... Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4.4

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. James 4.7,8. It is personal closure with Christ and the resulting resistance towards the devil that will send him fleeing. Demonic forces see us as a threat when we are firm in our faith in Christ; but they see us as an opportunity to discredit God’s glory when we are double-minded and compromising. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. James 1.8.

The Amalekites came up behind the Israelites and began to pick off the stragglers – those travelling slowly and reluctantly; the ones drifting off the back of the nation as they moved on. Deut 25.17,18 “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God.”

Clearly, it is dangerous to lag behind and be a reluctant or worn-out Christian traveller, drifting off the back of the pack. This is the danger for those whose commitment to the Church is intermittent and will eventually prove fatal. ‘Do not neglect meeting together, as is the habit of some.’ Heb 10. Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? Hebrews 2.

Your faith needs to run hot and course through your life at all times – like your lifeblood. Once your faith congeals into a crust on the outside of your life, it is no longer your lifeblood. And once your faith becomes a dry scab on your skin it is very easily picked off. It was said of Abraham: You see that (in Abraham) faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works. James 2. It is active, lively faith that produces joy, perseverance, purpose and determination to run the course of life marked out for us. It is this faith in Christ that will keep you from drifting away into danger. It is his strong life in you that will raise your resistance against the devil and his strategies.

Resisting Evil

Amalek started a fight and Moses responded. Although Israel was a rebellious people, there were precious young people among them who would in future years fight their way into the Promised Land under God. Moses was not about to let them get picked off by Amalek! Amalek was a shameful people. They were distant relatives of Israel. They were descendants of Esau, the twin brother of Jacob who despised the promises of God and chose a full stomach over a heart satisfied with God. Amalek was a nation that resulted from its forbears rejecting God. Not content with abandoning the call of God, they were now trying to maul God’s nation. They appear in Israel’s history time after time, like a pack of wild dogs set on ripping Israel’s young.

We also have young to protect. This is spiritual warfare to provide a stronger next generation to continue the advance of God's kingdom against the gates of hell which will come unhinged. For our own sakes and the sake of our people: Pray. Teach. Role model. Demolish the enemy’s strongholds. We have to fight. We are not called to run or give in. 2 Cor 10 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.

Back Up

Moses sent Joshua out to fight – but not without back up. Joshua and his men would unsheathe their swords while Moses called on God in prayer. Moses lifted up his hands to God; in one of them he held up the staff of God. He held out this rod of God’s judgment over the fighting to announce God’s defeat of his enemies. But Moses was only a man and the rod became too heavy as his arms tired.

As his arms dipped the battle would turn against Joshua, but as he thrust his arms up again, Amalek would fall back before Joshua’s men. Aaron and Hur joined to support Moses in his work of calling on God. His hand remained steady; the rod was held out and evil Amalek was overcome by Joshua’s sword. There was a direct connection between the rod held up by Moses and the sword that worked the victory against Amalek.

There was no magic in the staff of God. It just symbolised the intention of God to judge Amalek. But God was going to work his judgement by two connected means: by the prayers of Moses and the sword of Joshua and his fighters. It was God who worked the victory that day – not Moses’ prayer; not Joshua’s swords; and not Amalek’s failure.

However, God taught Moses, Joshua, Aaron, Hur and any in Israel who cared to learn, that calling on God for strength in the face of our enemies, assures us of victory. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 1 John 5.4. Faith is looking to God and stepping out into his will for us – by this means he makes the world melt away in front of us. For the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory. Deut 20.4.

Storing Up Wisdom

This incident was to be recorded (v.14). It would become a critical lesson for Joshua when he faced bigger and tougher enemies in Canaan than Amalek. This is why the Bible is so important for the success of your day to day struggle against evil. In it are the proofs and patterns for our daily victory. The person who never drinks at that well will be dehydrated and defeated by the smallest attacks. The person who drinks deeply in the well of God’s word will run and not get weary. David expressed the strength he found in God.

Psalm 18

29 For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
30 This God—his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

31 For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?— 32 the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless. 33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights. 34 He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 35 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great. 36 You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip. 37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back till they were consumed.

That day, Moses celebrated the victory of God by building an altar that commemorated the Lord as their Banner. A banner is held up. It has on it an army or a people’s identity written in large writing. Moses was declaring that for the people of faith, the Lord is their identity. It is his name that is written large over all that they would do and achieve. It is his name that would protect them and drain away their enemies’ power.

Touching God’s Throne

Moses described his prayers as ‘a hand upon the throne of the Lord’. In calling upon the Lord to defeat Amalek, Moses had tapped into the power and authority of God’s throne. Joshua was fighting in God’s name. Amalek and others would always be on the run in the face of such power. Let us then, with confidence, draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Heb 4.16. Notice that we need mercy first to deal with our own sinful shortcomings and then grace to provide us with the help to repel our temptations and other enemies. We have a hand upon the throne of the Lord! Who can touch us? The Lord is my Helper. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? Heb 13.6.

Therefore

• Know that you are in hostile territory and don’t be lulled into thinking that the enemy doesn’t have his eye on you. In this world you will have trouble (Jn 16.33). Everyone who lives a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (2 Timothy 3.12)
• Keep close to the centre of Christian fellowship so that you aren’t picked off by temptation or attack.
• Cultivate a lively, ‘hot’ faith that keeps you depending on Christ all day and every day. Consider compromising Christians as the enemies of your faith – don’t be led astray by them.
• Pray and fight, knowing that your strength comes from God to whom you are calling for help.
• Read the Bible and use the record of God’s help to encourage your faith in him for the next fight you will face.
• Remember that in Christ you have access to his throne. You can approach him with confidence; for in prayer it is as if you put your hand on the very throne from which your victory is guaranteed; so be encouraged.

WATER Exodus 17

God may test us, but we may not test him. Testing God means that we plan to do what we know to be wrong and see if God will do anything about it. Sinning deliberately is a terrible, terrible thing. It means we know what God has said about something, but we are going to go our own way.

Hebrews 10.26,27 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.

Israel was trying to play hardball with God and get a better deal from him. They were attempting to force him into proving himself to them by giving them more of what they wanted. They had no genuine interest in God’s purpose for Israel – they just craved to have their individual wants satisfied. This attracted God’s anger.

Psalm 78

14 In the daytime God led them with a cloud, and all the night with a fiery light.
15 He split rocks in the wilderness
and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
16 He made streams come out of the rock and caused waters to flow down like rivers.

17 Yet they sinned still more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
18 They tested God in their heart
by demanding the food they craved.
19 They spoke against God, saying,
“Can God spread a table in the wilderness?
20 He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed.
Can he also give bread
or provide meat for his people?”

21 Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of wrath; a fire was kindled against Jacob; his anger rose against Israel,
22 because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power.

Today, we must take to heart what happened then in the desert. It has been given to us as a warning:

Psalm 95.

Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
9 when your fathers put me to the test
and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
10 For forty years I loathed that generation
and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,
and they have not known my ways.”
11 Therefore I swore in my wrath,
“They shall not enter my rest.”

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Considering what we learned last week about God’s gracious and timely provision of manna for the Israelites, you would assume that when a shortage of water became an issue that they would have immediately recalled that God was already providing their daily bread! It seems reasonable that when the lack of water was discovered each family would join together to seek God in prayer – asking him to supply the needed water. But not Israel. They reverted to their usual behaviour of complaining. They quarrelled with Moses (even threatening him) instead of praying to God. They showed no interest in or understanding of the character of God. Even although God was providing them bread daily (manna), they doubted he would also provide water if they asked him. They denied that God was their Father. They hated him and were only reluctantly following Moses. They wanted to be ordered around (they still had the Egyptian slave mentality) because in a perverse way it is easier to be a slave. You don’t have to take responsibility for your actions. You don’t have to share the vision of your Master. You reserve the right to complain and blame if things appear to go wrong. This is one of the most damning and shameful characteristics of human nature.

Israel threatened Moses and demanded that he give them water to drink (2). In quarrelling with Moses they were complaining against God, because Moses was the one he had appointed to lead them. In effect, they were saying to God via Moses: “You brought us here – it was your idea – this is your project – so provide for us!” They were not at all committed to God’s plan for them. This generation had given their hearts to Egypt and they were being dragged towards the Promised Land against their will. Moses calls their behaviour: “Testing God” (8). They produced complaints and demands instead of humility and prayers.

Moses turned to the Lord; where else could he turn? God gave him an instruction and the capacity to carry it through. God told him to walk out in full view of all the people, with their representatives (elders) beside him. He was told to carry the staff, the instrument of judgement with which he had brought down the various plagues on Egypt. This stick had struck the Nile and brought disaster on Egypt. There must have been some concern among the people as Moses solemnly strode out before them with the rod of judgement in his hand. When he had wielded that stick in the past, God had acted decisively, and the sight of Moses with the rod in his hand implied that God was going to judge again.

However, there was so much more going on here than even the Israelites realised. God was about to provide them with water. Obviously this was not a sign of weakness on God’s part, nor was it a confirmation that people should challenge God and make demands of him for what they want or need. These people were testing God. They were trying to manipulate him into giving them what they wanted by demanding that he give it as proof of his presence. The audacity and disrespect of these people knew no bounds. They deserved God’s judgement and he sent Moses out with the rod and it looked for a moment as if judgement was about to fall on them.

But unknown to the people, God had told Moses that he was right there with him and that he (God) would stand on a massive rock there in that place; Horeb. God said: “I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” There was no image of God, no angel and no form of him standing on the rock; but God was identifying himself with the rock.

By beating the rock, Moses was striking God! God was himself bearing the disrespect and sin of these people – like a punishment he didn’t deserve. He was for the time being withholding his judgement on them (though it was surely deserved) and bearing it himself so that the people could have water and live. How would they respond to such astonishing grace? How will you and I respond to the grace of God who bears the deserved judgement against our sin? Will we consider his patience to be a kind of ‘softness’? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. Romans 2.4-5

The Lord is not slow to fulfil his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 Peter 3.9

The meaning is clear: Don’t mistake God’s patience with you as ‘softness’ or unwillingness to deal with evil – even when it is found in you. His patience invites you to repent.

Israel was not receiving water as a reward for their good service; they were not even receiving it as an answer to their prayers (for they had refused to pray)! They were receiving the water because God had redirected his judgement from them onto himself - for the time being. God was very graciously giving them time to come to their senses and repent of their evil. Sadly that generation did not repent and nearly all of them died in the desert during the 40 years of wandering and never reached the Promised Land.

So on the day of their thirst and complaining God directed Israel’s attention to a rock that would burst forth with water sufficient for about two million people. There is much more to this rock than they realised. Paul plainly identifies Christ as the Person of God who was accompanying Israel in the desert.

1 Corinthians 10.1 For I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.

Paul identifies Christ as the ‘spiritual Rock’ that followed them. This doesn’t mean that a large rock rolled along behind the Israelites as they traveled in the desert! It means that Christ was there and that he demonstrated his presence by ensuring they had a water supply and by twice producing a spring of water out of solid rock. The spiritual water they drank was the miraculously supplied ordinary H₂0 that gave them the strength to march on. That generation’s only success was being the parents of the next generation who would persevere into the Promised Land. Paul reminds us that although all the people shared in the water, they displeased God and were ‘overthrown’ in the wilderness. They never cared about God’s glory or his programme, so he abandoned them. Their bodies ended up strewn in the desert. You could retrace their path back to Egypt by following the bones of that rebellious generation – their own bones that they left in the desert.

There seem to be three levels at which this ‘rock and water’ incident can be understood:

First, at the most basic level of thirst: Israel arrived at a place with no water supply and was in danger of suffering dehydration and death. The people unjustly complained to Moses and blamed God for abandoning them. Moses called on God who instructed him to strike a rock with the staff he had given him. Moses did so and water flowed out to nourish the people. In this way, God graciously provided water as a rebuke to disobedient and faithless people. Israel had demanded to know if God was among them or not and God showed it by redirecting his wrath on the Rock instead of them. But they were blind to it all. They only saw water and felt satisfied that by complaining they had got what they wanted.

On the second, deeper level, Moses and a very few faithful individuals recognised that God had carried the iniquity (evil) of the complaining Israelites by having their punishment directed at himself (he had said to Moses that he was standing on the rock that was being struck). Though not fully understood by them, Moses and the faithful few realised that God was prepared to buy time for the rebels by absorbing their rebellion.

Going deeper than that, to the third level, we need to look at this incident using insights from the New Testament. There we learn that this incident was prophetic of what Jesus Christ would do for his people. Christ was present there with Moses, though even he did not grasp fully what that meant. The rod that struck the rock was prophetic of God’s judgement falling on Christ for the sins of his people. It was fulfilled at the cross when Jesus Christ was ‘smitten by God and afflicted’ and ‘upon him was laid the chastisement that brought us peace’ (Isaiah 53.4,5).

The day of the rock struck by Moses’ stick and producing life-saving water, foreshadowed the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is our Rock that was struck with the judgement due to us. He is the substitute who absorbed God’s wrath against us and who became for us a spring or fountain of life. John 7.37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. Jesus gained for us the Holy Spirit who comes to live in our spirits and by joining us to Jesus Christ becomes a spring of living water within the Christian. Jesus both deflects the sentence of death and supplies inexhaustible life.

Zechariah made a similar prophecy (13.1) “On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.

What should we learn from all this?

1. Christ is our Rock. He accompanies his own people in the spiritual desert that is this world. We live under the shadow of that Rock and drink from its life-giving water. Jesus is like streams of water in a dry place, like the shade of a great rock in a weary land.(Isaiah 32). If Christ associates himself so closely in our life journey, to protect, nourish and provide – then we should ask for what we need. He promised that we would receive whatever we need simply by asking the Father in his name.

2. Complaining is evil. Humility and prayer is the right response to every trouble or lack.

3. If Christ actually bore the blows of God’s wrath against my evil and if he is the source of all my life and endurance, then the business with God that Christ did for me at the cross must be at the forefront of my thinking daily. I must retain my place of utter dependence on him, never asserting my own self or my own selfish wants.

4. If the bones of a whole generation of Israelites that saw and tasted God’s power and help were left in the desert, then I must learn from their serious errors. I must never test God by planning to do what I know to be wrong. At all costs I must avoid becoming the bleached bones of failed Christians on the path of life.

5. When Paul taught the Corinthians (1 Cor 10) about Christ being the Rock in the desert and about Israel’s terrible failure to respond properly to Him – he gave these applications:

· Don’t desire evil (10.6). Sort through the things you love to do, to have, to experience and to long for; are these godly desires? If they are not, and if any of them are things that cannot be received by faith in Jesus Christ – then ditch them immediately. Seek holiness. Long for perfection.

· Don’t be an idolater (10.7). That generation of Israelites loved Egypt and we might love the things and experiences available in the world. This really is idolatry and it is dangerous. John chimed in on this when he said: If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 Jn 2.15. He said this because the world has death at its core – rotting, destructive ruin. Strive to see through the world’s attractions – get insight and wisdom to perceive what lies beneath the veneer. Don’t be deceived by the packaging. Don’t be sucked in by the images only to feed on the ashes of death.

· Don’t indulge in sexual immorality (10.8). The Israelites were easily distracted by one another’s bodies and quick sensation of liveliness that sex promised. But they gave up their bodies to death because they never prized holiness.

· Don’t put Christ to the test (10.9).

· Don’t grumble (10.10). Complaining is the substitute for prayer. Complaining demands that God change to accommodate our plans. Prayer seeks God’s strengthening so that we can measure up to his plans.

Come, drink and live!

BREAD Exodus 16

Bread is basic food; a staple or basic dietary item. Bread is everyday stuff. If you live in the Pacific coconut is your bread; in Asia it is rice. For the Israelites in the wilderness, manna was the staple food provided miraculously by God. The miracle of the manna is about God’s everyday provision for the lives of his people. Jesus made the connection between himself and everyday food. He said that HE was the bread of life. At its most obvious, this metaphor means that Jesus is the source of everyday spiritual life for his people. Staple food is eaten daily and is the basic nourishment that provides energy for a people. Jesus puts himself forward as the ‘food’ that provides spiritual energy for his people; everyday sustenance – not fancy food eaten only on special occasions!

In studying the miracle of the manna in the wilderness, we will learn how God used blessing as a test. We will observe the grace and generosity of God. We will notice the disobedience, waywardness and hardness of human hearts. And finally, we will make helpful connections between the manna and the new kind of life that Jesus brings from heaven to those who put faith in him.

The manna came as God’s response to the evil in Israel. That evil was manifested by complaining. Complaining is close to the root of all sin. We complain because we don’t understand, like or accept what God has dished out to us in life. Israel was complaining that the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land was too hard; in particular, they were on a very thin diet. They evilly suggested that they would have preferred to have died under God’s judgement in Egypt with full stomachs, rather than be delivered by him into a life of hungry travelling. What a shocking thing to say. They were saying that they would rather resign a future with God for the sake of some short-term gluttony; a short, fat life rather than a long, thin one. They had no vision for working with God.

Paul spoke of people like this a couple of times when he was writing to the churches. He said that there were some people who gave away Christian living for the sake of greed. He said that they god was their belly. They were so unspiritually-minded that the thought of their favourite food was enough to satisfy them. Unlike Paul and genuine Christians who loved to spend themselves in Christ’s service, such people can’t tear themselves away from eating. We must examine how self-indulgence might be ruling our lives.

Now God’s response to Israel’s complaining about the loss of their favourite meat dishes of Egypt was to bless them with easily gathered staple food. Rather like the test in the Garden of Eden, their obedience would be tested as to how they followed the instructions about what and when to gather.

Have you ever thought that the abundance that you enjoy daily is actually God’s test of your willingness to walk in God’s way or not? The test is whether you will gather all that is needed for the short-term, or whether you will gather more ‘stuff’ than you need and try to build your own security system based on material things, rather than keep your focus on the tasks God has for you to achieve and in his ability to both provide what you need and to sustain you to the completion of your life’s work. We act unfaithfully when we wallow in the ‘stuff’ of life without working out what God is blessing us for; what work is our energy is supposed to be directed towards?

Moses and Aaron announced what God was about to do: to provide quail (small birds) in the evening and manna (like fine flakes of dried coconut) in the morning. This was both a blessing and a rebuke. They had complained about hunger but God would show them just how unjustified their grumbling was by providing them with food without work and without price. Why would God do that? Isn’t punishment the appropriate response to disobedience? Why does God continue to bless you, even when you complain and act hatefully towards him?

Moses told the people that God did this so that

- they would know that it was the Lord who had brought them out of Egypt (6), and

- they would see the glory of the Lord acting graciously to them even though they were grumbling against him (7).

God was rendering Israel totally responsible for their disobedience. He was making sure that neither they nor anyone could ever say that it was not clear that God had delivered them and was providing for them. Verse 12: “Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.” The blessing of food evening and morning would either bring deep thankfulness and renewed commitment to the Lord from some, or it would bring culpability (blame and guilt) on those who enjoyed the blessings but still refused to humble themselves and admit God’s ownership of their lives. (Jesus spoke parables for the same reason; so that those who were believing would have their faith fed and those who were rejecting him would hear without hearing and see without seeing.)

God’s blessing is a serious business. It is not a sprinkling of happy circumstances like colourful hundreds and thousands on the plain bread and butter of our lives! Blessings are the evidences of God’s power and grace worked into our lives. How we respond to those blessings will determine whether they will ultimately bless us or actually become our strongest accusers. Those who are blessed and yet harden their hearts against God’s commands will be accounted guilty not only for their original bent towards disobedience, but for the added disgrace of using God’s blessings to support a life that dishonours him. The quail and manna would be the means of confirming some Israelites as truly God’s people and the majority as his enemies.

When the manna came the people were given clear instructions to collect enough for their household (16). There was to be no rich or poor when it came to manna collection. There was always just enough, whether they had a big family or a small one. They were also instructed to collect only enough for the day, except on the 6^th day of the week (Friday) when they were to collect enough to last for the 7^th day (the Sabbath, when everyone was to rest from any kind of work). Any extra manna that the people tried to keep during the week – presumably so they could ‘sleep in’ and take days off from the early gathering – that leftover manna would always turn putrid during the day. But on the Sabbath, that manna would remain perfectly fresh.

This miracle was meant to teach the people about the kind of rest they were supposed to take. In their disobedience, some wanted to take time out from the collection whenever they felt like it or when they couldn’t be bothered rising early. This was further evidence of their reluctance to follow God’s instructions. If they were going to reach the Promised Land and go in to displace its enemies successfully, they would have to learn how to depend on God for everything. They would need self-discipline and complete trust in the Lord. This is what the Sabbath teaching was all about. It was a lesson that they should depend on God to provide for them for everything and to rest in God’s promise to supply all their needs. The preservation of the fresh manna confirmed this; they did no work on the Sabbath, but God did not rest from providing for them and keeping them going. It was a lesson that God was behind all their survival. The majority of Israelites, though, were always looking for ‘time off’ from God and his purpose. They dreamed of the meat in Egypt and they complained when God disciplined them.

Jesus Christ fulfils all the lessons to be derived from the provision of the manna.

John 6 is the parallel New Testament passage to Exodus 16. In John 6, we read how the Israelites in Jesus time flocked around him because he had provided bread by miracle. They wanted to make him their leader by force because they imagined he would give them food without work (6.15). They wanted blessings without responsibility; they expected God to provide for them without the expectation that they should work for God. They pestered Jesus for more free bread (6.26,27). Jesus was offended by their lazy, greedy ignorance. They wanted the free bread to fill their stomachs and give them more time to do what they wanted; but they did not want him. They did not want the quality of life that he was displaying. They did not want to be holy. They did not want to serve God. They wanted to avoid work at all costs. Jesus told them they needed to do the ‘work’ of resting in God – that is, believing in and committing to follow Jesus (6.27-29).

This highlights the core of evil in human nature. We want our load lightened and our stomachs filled so we can do whatever we find enjoyable. We expect God’s blessing to follow our plans. But we were made to work with and for God. He strengthens us so that we can serve his good purposes and enjoy the incomparable and brilliant outcomes of his plan. Like Esau, we are willing to sell our future blessings for plateful of stew! (Genesis 25.29-34). This is an evil that attracts God’s judgement.

The greedy people following Jesus demanded that Jesus provide free food like Moses did. But Jesus tells them that they won’t be getting blessings from God separate from him. He told them that if they wanted God’s blessings from heaven, then they would need to eat him! He is the bread come down from heaven. Jesus is the true manna. He is the ultimate blessing and sustenance from the spiritual world. Unless we eat him we will rot in the desert; but if we feed on him we will survive this life and live forever (6.57,58).

Jesus is both rest and food. The Israelites under Moses wanted God to feed them and leave them alone. But God feeds us so we have the capacity to take part in his work. He supports our work by feeding us. Faith in Jesus is like collecting daily manna. We know that this world (the desert) is not our destination, but we know that God is with us to lead us through it and strengthen us to defeat our enemies and occupy the territory marked out for each of us (not waging war like the world, but using spiritual weapons to demolish strongholds of evil in the minds and hearts of people). We are ready and willing to live disciplined lives devoted to working hard in Christ’s service; we don’t expect to waste our lives on leisure or on playing with blessings like toys. We are up and ready to do real, lasting work. But we know that what sustains us in this is not our own effort or the strength of our wills – it is the Bread of Life – Jesus Christ. Daily we feed on him through the Bible and by watching and praying about the circumstances he unfolds to us daily. We put the effort into ‘gathering up’ this food daily, but we know that it is not our searching or collecting but his giving that is the secret of our success. We rest daily in Jesus Christ, knowing that he is our Sabbath-rest. We actually rest while we work, because he is carrying us and feeding us deep within our spirits.

Gather your manna – do it daily and freshly – give thanks to the Lord for his strengthening – use the energy he mightily inspires within you to do his work – keep resting in his will, his providences and his Spirit to sustain you – glorify Christ, your True Bread.