 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Moses, the Servant of God
(in 2 parts)
"And they sing the Song of Moses the
servant of God,
and the Song of the Lamb, saying,
Great and marvellous are Thy works, LORD God Almighty;
Just and True are Thy ways, Thou King of Saints"
(Revelation 15:3).
Portions from the Pentateuch,
the King James Version by The Holy Spirit through Moses
with notes by Katie Stewart
PART ONE
---New
Window
PART TWO
Exodus
/ Chapter 19
Preparation to Meet with the LORD
n the third month, when the children
of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the
wilderness of Sinai. 2 For they were departed
from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness;
and there Israel camped before the mount.
|
|
3 And Moses went up unto God, |
7 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid
before their faces all these Words which the LORD commanded him. 8 And all the people
answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses
returned the words of the people unto the LORD.
9 And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a
thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe
thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.
10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify
them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, 11 and be ready against the third day: for the third day the
LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai. 12 And
thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves,
that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the
mount shall be surely put to death: 13 there shall not an hand touch
it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it
shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount."
In Exodus 32:9, the Record of these people stands forever formed in the opinion of
God Himself. "The LORD said unto Moses,
I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people." These people were much worse than just being "forgetful hearer[s]" (James 1:25), they were "forgetful
seers." Having seen with their own eyes their own deliverance
firsthand, and knowing Whose Hand had miraculously worked for them,
to then SO SOON have bewailed their freedom by condemning Moses for their desert
trials-- God righteously judged them as "stiffnecked".
"Die in the wilderness!" "Die in
the wilderness!" "Die in the wilderness!"
God knew these men would forever complain, and He knew that only two adult men (and
possibly their wives, although not mentioned) would enter the Promised Land, along
with the "then" children (who would do their growing during the time that
they "wandered in the wilderness" [Joshua 14:10] for forty years). God gave them "according
to [their] faith" (Matthew 9:29), "for the LORD
had said of them, They shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was not
left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun" (Numbers 26:65).
It was to these people that the LORD GOD tried to impress with severity the importance
of His Holy Self. He wanted them to take Him seriously-- to FEAR Him! "Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you;
take heed and do it: for there is NO iniquity with the LORD our God" (2Chronicles 19:7). Hence, the warning: "Take
heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it:
whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to DEATH: there shall not an hand
touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or
man, it SHALL NOT LIVE."
Fear Has Its Place
by C. H. Spurgeon
"Happy is the man that feareth alway" (Proverbs 28:14).
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning and the foundation of all true religion. Without a solemn awe and reverence of God there is no foothold for the more brilliant virtues. He whose soul does not worship will never live in holiness.
He is happy who feels a jealous fear of doing wrong. Holy fear looks not only before it leaps, but even before it moves. It is afraid of error, afraid of neglecting duty, afraid of committing sin. It fears ill company, loose talk, and questionable policy. This does not make a man wretched, but it brings him happiness. The watchful sentinel is happier than the soldier who sleeps at his post. He who foreseeth evil and escapes it is happier than he who walks carelessly on and is destroyed.
Fear of God is a quiet grace which leads a man along a choice road, of which it is written, 'No lion shall be there, neither shall any ravenous beast go up thereon.' Fear of the very appearance of evil is a purifying principle, which enables a man, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to keep his garments unspotted from the world. Solomon had tried both worldliness and holy fear: in the one he found vanity, in the other happiness. Let us not repeat his trial but abide by his verdict." --from "Faith's Checkbook" ---New Window. by C. H. Spurgeon ---New Window.
"14 And Moses went down
from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their
clothes. 15 And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third
day: come not at your wives."
The people were to ready themselves to be presented before the LORD.
"16 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. 17 And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. 18 And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. 19 And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a Voice."
"20 And the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of
the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.
21 And the LORD
said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD
to gaze, and many of them perish... 24 And the LORD said unto him,
Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not
the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest He break
forth upon them. 25
So Moses went down unto the people, and spake
unto them."
Exodus
/ Chapter 20
The Giving of the Ten Commandments
nd God spake all these Words, saying, 2
I Am the LORD thy God, which have brought
thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness
of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the Earth beneath, or that is
in the water under the Earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself
to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a Jealous God, visiting the iniquity
of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that
hate Me; 6
and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My Commandments.
7 Thou shalt not take the Name of the LORD thy God in vain;
for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His Name in vain.
8 Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. 9 Six
days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 but the seventh day
is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy
son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy
stranger that is within thy gates: 11 for in six days the LORD made
heaven and Earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore
the LORD blessed the Sabbath Day, and hallowed it.
12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long
upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
13 Thou shalt not kill.
14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
15 Thou shalt not steal.
16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not
covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox,
nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's."
What the LORD is simply saying to Israel, and to anyone who follows after Him, "I Am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out
of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage."
Love ME. Live for ME. Obey ME. "Love the
LORD thy God with ALL thy heart, and with ALL thy soul, and with ALL thy mind" (Matthew 22:37). [Please read D. L. Moody's
most excellent examination of "The
Ten Commandments" ---New Window.]
"18 And all the people
saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain
smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. 19 And
they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let NOT God speak
with us, lest we DIE. 20
And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for
God is come to PROVE you, and that His fear may be before your faces, that ye
sin not. 21
And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew
near unto the thick darkness where God was. 22 And the LORD said
unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that
I have talked with you from heaven. 23 Ye shall not make
with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold. 24 An
altar of Earth thou shalt make unto Me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings,
and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record
My Name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee."
God's purpose in visually showing Himself to these obstinate people, by means of
"the thunderings, and the lightnings,
and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking", and then "the thick
darkness where God was", He performed
that they might believe. "Ye have seen
that I have talked with you from heaven."
Why? "That His fear may be before your
faces, that ye sin not." What does a reverential
trust in God accomplish? No sinning!
Exodus
/ Chapter 24
nd the LORD said unto Moses, Come
up to Me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and
a Law, and Commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.
13 And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went
up into the mount of God. 14
And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here
for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if
any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them. 15 And Moses went up
into the mount, and a Cloud covered the mount.
16 And the Glory of the LORD abode upon Mount Sinai, and the
Cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day He called unto Moses out of the midst
of the Cloud. 17
And the sight of the Glory of the LORD was
like DEVOURING FIRE on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.
18 And Moses went into the midst of the Cloud, and gat
him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights."
The LORD wanted to give the Children of Israel a test, a test which would prove openly
what lay at the core of their hearts. Moses has gone away from the camp. It appears--
by sight-- that he is not coming back. What will they do?
Exodus
/ Chapter 25
Preparation to Build the Tabernacle of the LORD
nd the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring Me an
offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take
My offering. 3
And this is the offering which ye shall take
of them; gold, and silver, and brass, 4 and blue, and purple,
and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, 5 and rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim
wood, 6 oil for the light,
spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, 7 onyx stones, and
stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.
8 And let them make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among
them. 9 According to all that I show thee, after the pattern of
the Tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye
make it.
10 And they shall make an Ark of shittim wood: two cubits and
a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and
a cubit and a half the height thereof. 11 And thou shalt overlay
it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon
it a crown of gold round about. 12 And thou shalt cast four rings
of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be
in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it. 13 And thou shalt make
staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.
14 And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides
of the Ark, that the Ark may be borne with them. 15 The staves shall
be in the rings of the Ark: they shall not be taken from it. 16 And thou shalt put
into the Ark the Testimony which I shall give thee.
17 And thou shalt make a Mercy Seat of pure gold: two cubits
and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.
18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work
shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the Mercy Seat. 19 And make one cherub
on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the Mercy Seat shall
ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. 20 And the cherubims
shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the Mercy Seat with their wings,
and their faces shall look one to another; toward the Mercy Seat shall the faces
of the cherubims be.
21 And thou shalt put the Mercy Seat above upon the Ark; and
in the Ark thou shalt put the Testimony that I shall give thee. 22 And there I will
meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the Mercy Seat,
from between the two cherubims which are upon the Ark of the Testimony, of all things
which I will give thee in Commandment unto the children of Israel."
Exodus
/ Chapter 31
nd the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
13 Speak thou
also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily My Sabbaths ye shall keep: for it
is a Sign
between Me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I Am the
LORD that doth SANCTIFY you."
We don't keep ourselves from sinning. We recognize the LORD's Will and Power-- we
FEAR Him (i.e., give Him reverential trust)-- and by our own freewill which He gave
to us, we put our wills into His keeping. We leave our wills in His keeping. And
for as long as we leave our wills in His keeping, we do NOT sin. "For it is God which worketh in you both to
will and to do of His Good Pleasure" (Philippians 2:13).
"14 Ye shall keep the
Sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely
be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off
from among his people. 15
Six days may work be done; but in the seventh
is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath
Day, he shall surely be put to death. 16 Wherefore the children
of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations,
for a Perpetual Covenant. 17 It is a Sign between Me and
the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and Earth,
and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed.
18 And He gave unto Moses, when He had made an end of communing
with him upon Mount Sinai, two tables of Testimony, tables of stone, written with
the Finger of God."
Exodus
/ Chapter 32
nd when the people saw that Moses
delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto
Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for
this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what
is become of him."
Obedience is based on love. If it's not for the love that we have for the LORD, then
it's NOT obedience. These rebellious children wasted no time in showing their true
colors. And Aaron seized the moment for his own aggrandizement.
"2 And Aaron said unto
them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your
sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.
3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were
in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. 4 And he received them
at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten
calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out
of the land of Egypt."
How could Aaron, knowing God the way he did, being an instrument in God's Own
Hand during the miracles performed in Egypt-- how could Aaron be so vile-- attributing
divinity to an object made with his own hand as the "GOD" "which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt"? Take heed. "Ye
therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being
led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness" (2Peter 3:17). Any man can fall. And if a man who has been used so mightily
by God can so quickly and easily fall-- so can you and I. "Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and
ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them" (Deuteronomy 11:16). Do a Bible study on "take
heed". The sheer number of verses
is a warning in itself!
"5 And when Aaron saw
it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow
is a feast to the LORD.
6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt
offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink,
and rose up to play.
7 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy
people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:
8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which
I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and
have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought
thee up out of the land of Egypt.
9 And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and,
behold, it is a stiffnecked people: 10 Now therefore let
Me alone, that My wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them:
and I will make of thee a great nation.
11 And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why
doth Thy wrath wax hot against Thy people, which Thou hast brought forth out of the
land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? 12 Wherefore should
the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did He bring them out, to slay them
in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the Earth? Turn from Thy fierce
wrath, and repent [not of sin, of course, but
to change His mind] of this evil against Thy
people."
Moses knew his people deserved God's just punishment,
but it was foremost in his mind that the LORD's reputation and glory among the heathen
that he interceded for Israel. Meekness defends God, and, remember, Moses was-- by
God's Own Mouth-- the meekest man "above
all the men which were upon the face of the Earth"
(Numbers 12:3).
Moses also knew there was a Bigger Plan involved, and that there was a Covenant made
with Abraham, and being the meekest of men that he was-- defending God and not SELF--,
he shied away from the honour that God was ready to give him. "I will make of thee a great nation."
Pleading with God, presenting your argument or case before Him, was best described by A. T. Pierson ---New Window, concerning God's prayer warrior, George Mueller ---New Window --
"George Müller stored up reasons for God's intervention. As he came upon promises, authorized declarations of God concerning Himself, names and titles He had chosen to express and reveal His true nature and will, injunctions and invitations which gave to the believer a right to pray and boldness in supplication-- as he saw all these, fortified and exemplified by the instances of prevailing prayer, he laid these arguments up in memory, and then on occasions of great need brought them out and spread them before a prayer-hearing God. It is pathetically [pathos, or compassionately] beautiful to follow this humble man of God into the secret place, and there hear him pouring out his soul in these argumentative pleadings, as though he would so order his cause before God as to convince Him that He must interpose to save His own name and word from dishonour!"--from "Pleading With God and Argument in Prayer" ---New Window by A. T. Pierson, taken from "George Müller of Bristol" ---New Window chapter 10: "The Word of God and Prayer" ---New Window
"13 Remember Abraham,
Isaac, and Israel, Thy servants, to whom Thou swarest by Thine Own Self, and saidst
unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that
I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.
14 And the LORD repented of the evil which He thought to do
unto His people."
As we mentioned before, when Scripture talks about God repenting, it is not for sin,
of course, but simply that God is changing His mind. "The
Judge of all the Earth" (Genesis
18:25) has the right to change His Omnipotent
Mind.
"Just as Jeremiah threatened God's judgment upon Jerusalem, i.e., '4 If ye will not hearken to Me, to walk in My Law, which I have set before you... 6 Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the Earth' (Jeremiah 26:4,6), Micah had previously pronounced the certainty that 'Jerusalem shall become heaps' (26:18) to Hezekiah-- who believed him and caused reformation in the land.
The point was that Micah had pronounced the certainty of judgment against the land during Hezekiah's reign in Jerusalem. Micah prophesied that the 'LORD cometh [present tense, is coming] forth out of His place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the Earth' (Micah 1:3). The result will be that 'Jerusalem shall become heaps' (3:12). Hezekiah led Judah in repentance before the prophecy could be fulfilled. 'Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah' (2Chronicles 32:26). But, who was complaining about the lack of fulfillment of Jerusalem's destruction, since 'the LORD repented Him of the evil which He had pronounced against them' (Jeremiah 26:19)? A situation had developed which changed God's mind... As the LORD of All the Earth (Joshua 3:13) is sovereign in His judgments, He is completely justified in holding back the fulfillment of a prophecy-- that He promised by the mouth of His prophets. 'And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that He had said that He would do unto them; and He did it not' (Jonah 3:10). God can rightly and sovereignly change His mind about the fulfillment of something He said He would do. 'And the LORD repented of the evil which He thought to do unto His people' (Exodus 32:14)."--from "How to Identify A False Prophet" ---New Window by Tom Stewart.
"15 And Moses turned,
and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the Testimony were in his hand:
the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were
they written. 16
And the tables were the work of God, and the
writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.
17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted,
he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. 18 And he said, It is
not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that
cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.
19
And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh
unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot,
and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.
20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in
the fire, and ground it to powder, and strowed it upon the water, and made the children
of Israel drink of it.
21 And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee,
that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?
22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou
knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. 23 For they said unto
me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought
us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 24 And I said unto them,
Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast
it into the fire, and there came out this calf."
Aaron spends a lot of time blaming others for his own sin. This is NOT repentance.
How he makes what he did sound so simplistic. "I
cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf."
He makes it appear that this calf just happened miraculously. "Godly sorrow"
(2Corinthians 7:10)
in a man is the picture of abasement, self-denunciation, and reproach. There is no
excuse for sin and the man of "Godly sorrow" makes no excuse whatever for his own sin. He freely admits
his hatred of God and deeply feels he is the "chief" of "sinners" (1Timothy 1:15). [Please read "How to Deal with Backsliders" ---New
Window, for a picture of what Biblical sorrow demonstrates.]
The Deuteronomy Account of the Breaking of the Tables
(Deuteronomy 9:16-20) "16 And I looked, and, behold, ye had sinned against the LORD your God, and had made you a molten calf: ye had turned aside quickly out of the way which the LORD had commanded you. 17 And I took the two tables, and cast them out of my two hands, and brake them before your eyes. 18 And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. 19 For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also. 20 And the LORD was very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him: and I prayed for Aaron also the same time."
"25 And when Moses saw
that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame
among their enemies:) 26
then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and
said, Who is on the LORD'S side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of
Levi gathered themselves together unto him."
Separation... a fact in this world as demonstrated clearly in our next world. "There is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would
pass from hence [Heaven] to you [in Hell] cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from
thence" (Luke
16:26). Only the pure in heart live with God
in Heaven. "Blessed are the pure in heart:
for they shall see God" (Matthew
5:8). The impure cannot enter the Gates Beautiful,
for "there shall in no wise enter into
it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie" (Revelation 21:2).Those who will not separate from this world now will be
separated into Hell later. "32 And
before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another,
as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 and He shall set
the sheep on His Right Hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King
say unto them on His Right Hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world... 41 Then shall He say
also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into Everlasting Fire,
prepared for the Devil and his angels... 46 And these shall go
away into Everlasting Punishment: but the righteous into Life Eternal" (Matthew 25:32-34,41,46).
"In January, 1834, all teachers who were not believers were dismissed from the Sunday-school; and, in the Dorcas Society, only believing sisters were accepted to make clothes for the destitute. The reason was that it had been found unwise and unwholesome to mix up or yoke together believers and unbelievers... Such association proved a barrier to spiritual converse and injurious to both classes, fostering in the unbelievers a false security, ensnaring them in a delusive hope that to help in Christian work might somehow atone for rejection of Jesus Christ as a Saviour, or secure favour from God and an open door into heaven. No doubt all this indiscriminate association of children of God with children of the world in a 'mixed multitude' is unscriptural. Unregenerate persons are tempted to think there is some merit at least in mingling with worshippers and workers, and especially in giving to the support of the gospel and its institutions. The devil seeks to persuade such that it is acceptable to God to conform externally to religious rites and forms, and take part in outward acts of service and sacrifice, and that He will deal leniently with them, despite their unbelief and disobedience. Mr. Mueller and Mr. Craik felt keenly that this danger existed and that even in minor matters there must be a line of separation, for the sake of all involved." --from "George Mueller of Bristol" ---New Window by A. T. Pierson ---New Window, chapter 21: "The Church Life and Growth" ---New Window
"27 And he said unto
them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and
go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother,
and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.
28 And the children
of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day
about three thousand men. 29
For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to
day to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow
upon you a blessing this day.
30 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto
the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the LORD; peradventure
I shall make an atonement for your sin.
31 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people
have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. 32 Yet now, if Thou
wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy Book
which Thou hast written."
A meek man defends God, not himself. Moses executed judgment, in God's behalf, and
slew a great number of the idolaters. "And
there fell of the people that day about three thousand men." Of those remaining, Moses makes intercession for them to the LORD.
"Peradventure I shall make an atonement
for your sin." He was hoping that the
whole nation wouldn't need to die. There was still a Covenant; there was still a
witness. But most of all, there was still the Glory of the LORD to be honoured. A
debt for sin still needed to be met. God's Glory demanded retribution. His Law required
it and it must be paid. Moses offered himself, in Christ-like fashion, as a substitute
for the sin of his nation. "Blot me,
I pray Thee, out of Thy Book." The
Apostle Paul felt the same way when he said, "2 I
have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. 3 For I could wish
that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according
to the flesh" (Romans
9:2-3). They were willing to pay an
Eternal Death for others! (What trophies are Moses and Paul
as everlasting testaments to the Inner Working of God's Great Love!) A debt truly
needed to be paid. "Let them be blotted
out of the Book of the Living, and not be written with the Righteous" (Psalm 69:28). But Moses and Paul-- as willing to substitute themselves
as they were that "God's chosen people" not be blotted out of the Book
of Life forever-- had not, in themselves, that Divine Ability and Power needed to
accomplish that selfless goal. That is exactly why Christ Jesus died. No one else
could pay that amount! Each man is liable for his own debt, and his own Eternal Punishment
could only cover his own sin. Only God Himself, the Perfect Sacrifice, Who had NO
debt for personal sin Himself, Who had the Omnipotence that only The Creator has,
only He could pay the debt for others. And He did! "He
died for ALL, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but
unto Him which died for them, and rose again"
(2Corinthians 5:15).
"For God so Loved THE WORLD, that He gave
His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,
but have Everlasting Life" (John 3:16). [Please
read, "The Heart of
the Gospel"
---New Window, by A.
T. Pierson, (1837-1911),
to understand how God accomplished this amazing Gift for us. And also, see our "Jehovah Jesus" section
---New Window for more
on THE CROSS, and our "Topical
Links On Salvation" ---New Window for help
in receiving your own Paid Gift.]
"33 And the LORD said
unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of
My Book. 34 Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which
I have spoken unto thee: behold, Mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in
the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.
35 And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf,
which Aaron made."
Exodus
/ Chapter 33
nd the LORD said unto Moses, Depart,
and go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of
Egypt, unto the land which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying,
Unto thy seed will I give it: 2 and
I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite,
and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: 3 unto a land flowing
with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked
people: lest I consume thee in the way. 4 And when the people
heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments. 5
For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto
the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst
of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee,
that I may know what to do unto thee. 6 And the children
of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the Mount Horeb. 7 And
Moses took the Tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp,
and called it the Tabernacle of the Congregation. And it came to pass, that every
one which sought the LORD went out unto the Tabernacle of the Congregation, which
was without the camp. 8
And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto
the Tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent door,
and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the Tabernacle.
Return to Exodus 8-- "Note"."9 And
it came to pass, as Moses entered into the Tabernacle, the Cloudy Pillar descended,
and stood at the door of the Tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses. 10 And
all the people saw the Cloudy Pillar stand at the Tabernacle door: and all the people
rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door. 11 And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man
speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant
Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the Tabernacle."
No earthbound man, not even Moses, has ever seen the face of God the Father. Who's
face "no man can approach unto; Whom no
man hath seen, nor can see: to Whom be honour and Power everlasting" (1Timothy 6:16), but Who is seen ONLY with the heart, this is "FAITH IN GOD"
(Mark 11:22).
And yet... "the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend." The Father in Heaven spoke to Moses as "face to face" as any earthbound man can. And the Father spoke as warmly and intimately as the Best Friend of any friends any man has ever had
"12 And Moses said unto
the LORD, See, Thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and Thou hast not let me
know whom Thou wilt send with me. Yet Thou hast said, 'I know thee by name, and thou
hast also found grace in My sight.' 13 Now therefore, I pray Thee,
if I have found grace in Thy sight, show me now Thy way, that I may know Thee, that
I may find grace in Thy sight: and consider that this nation is Thy people.
14 And He said, My Presence shall go with thee, and I will
give thee rest.
15 And
he said unto Him, If Thy Presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. 16 For wherein shall it be
known here that I and Thy people have found grace in Thy sight? is it not in that
Thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and Thy people, from all the
people that are upon the face of the Earth.
17 And
the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou
hast found grace in My sight, and I know thee by name."
What makes God's people different from all other people in the world? He goes WITH
us! "Behold, a virgin shall be with Child,
and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His Name Emmanuel, which being interpreted
is, God with us" (Matthew
1:23).
This art print, "The Word of the Lord" by Arnold Friberg
is provided courtesy of Christ-Centered Art ---New Window
"18 And he said, I beseech Thee, show me Thy Glory.
19 And He said, I will make ALL My GOODNESS pass before thee,
and I will proclaim the Name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom
I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20
And he said, Thou canst NOT see My face: for
there shall no man see Me, and live. 21 And the LORD said,
Behold, there is a place by Me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: 22
and it shall come to pass, while My Glory passeth
by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with My hand
while I pass by: 23 And I will take away
Mine hand, and thou shalt see My back parts: but My face shall not be seen."
So it was that Moses, while on this Earth, did NOT see the Father's face, even though,
as Scripture tells us, Moses did speak with the LORD (i.e., "the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto
his friend") on the friendliest terms
that man can possibly be with Almighty God. Moses did not see the Father's face,
yet I will ask, "What man in the flesh has ever seen any part of the
Heavenly Father's spiritual body?" What human, while in the flesh of this life,
has ever been as honoured by the Father, in this manner, as Moses was that day in
the "clift of the rock"? "Canst thou
by searching find out God?" (Job 11:7). "Who only hath Immortality, dwelling in the Light which no man
can approach unto; Whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to Whom be honour and power
everlasting. Amen" (1Timothy
6:16).
"And the LORD said unto Moses,
I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken:
for thou hast found grace in My sight, and I know thee by name."
Exodus
/ Chapter 34
nd the LORD said unto Moses, Hew
thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables
the Words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest. 2 And be ready in the
morning, and come up in the morning unto Mount Sinai, and present thyself there to
Me in the top of the mount. 3
And no man shall come up with thee, neither
let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed
before that mount.
4 And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and
Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto Mount Sinai, as the LORD had
commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.
5 And the LORD descended in the Cloud, and stood with him
there, and proclaimed the Name of the LORD.
6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed,
The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness
and Truth, 7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression
and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity
of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third
and to the fourth generation.
8 And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the Earth,
and worshipped. 9
And he said, If now I have found grace in Thy
sight, O LORD, let my LORD, I pray Thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people;
and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Thine inheritance.
10 And He said, Behold, I make a Covenant: before all thy people
I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the Earth, nor in any nation:
and all the people among which thou art shall see the Work of the LORD: for it is
a terrible thing that I will do with thee.
11 Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold,
I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the
Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
12 Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the
inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of
thee: 13 but ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and
cut down their groves: 14
for thou shalt worship no other god: for
the LORD, whose Name is Jealous, is a jealous God: 15 lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land,
and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one
call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; 16 and thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their
daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their
gods. 17 Thou shalt make thee
no molten gods. 18 The feast of unleavened
bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded
thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt.
19 All that openeth the matrix is Mine; and every firstling
among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male. 20 But the firstling
of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou
break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear
before Me empty. 21 Six days thou shalt
work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou
shalt rest. 22
And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks,
of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.
23 Thrice in the year shall all your menchildren appear before
the LORD GOD, the God of Israel. 24 For
I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any
man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice
in the year. 25 Thou shalt not
offer the blood of My sacrifice with leaven
[Biblically symbolic of sin]; neither shall
the sacrifice of the feast of the Passover be left unto the morning. 26
The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou
shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his
mother's milk. 27 And the LORD said
unto Moses, Write thou these Words: for after the tenor of these Words I have made
a Covenant with thee and with Israel.
28 And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights;
he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the
Words of the Covenant, the Ten Commandments.
29 And it came to pass, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai
with the two tables of Testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount,
that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. 30
And when Aaron and all the children of Israel
saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh
him. 31 And Moses called
unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and
Moses talked with them. 32 And afterward all
the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in Commandment all that the LORD
had spoken with him in Mount Sinai. 33 And
till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. 34
But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak
with Him, he took the veil off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto
the children of Israel that which he was commanded. 35 And the children
of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put
the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with Him."
"One result of communion with God is to make us tender of all that respects God's honor. Moses forgot himself; he had no room for thought of self; hence God was able to clothe him with a halo of glory. An earthly king likes to clothe his servants in fine robes, and God is pleased when we enable him to bless us. -- ANDREW A. BONAR." --from "For Each New Day"
Moses' face shone with the Glory of the LORD as a visible warning to the people that Moses had truly been with the LORD. Therefore, the Words which Moses gave the people, were God's Words, commanded by God, and were to be obeyed.
"20 The Redeemer shall
come to Zion,
and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.
21 As
for Me, this is My Covenant with them, saith the LORD;
My Spirit that is upon thee, and My Words which I have put in thy mouth,
shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed,
nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD,
from henceforth and for ever.
1 Arise, shine; for thy Light is come, and the Glory of the
LORD is risen upon thee.
2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the Earth, and gross
darkness the people:
but the LORD shall arise upon thee,
and His Glory shall be seen upon thee"
(Isaiah 59:20-60:2).
"For God, Who commanded the Light to shine
out of darkness,
hath shined in our hearts,
to give the Light of the Knowledge of the Glory of God
in the face of Jesus Christ"
(2Corinthians 4:6).
Exodus
/ Chapter 40
nd
the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the Tabernacle
of the tent of the congregation. 3 And thou shalt put therein
the Ark of the Testimony, and cover the Ark with the veil.
4 And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the
things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick,
and light the lamps thereof. 5 And thou shalt set the altar
of gold for the incense before the Ark of the Testimony, and put the hanging of the
door to the Tabernacle. 6
And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering
before the door of the Tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. 7 And thou shalt set
the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water
therein. 8 And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up
the hanging at the court gate. 9 And thou shalt take the anointing
oil, and anoint the Tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and
all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy."
With all the ceremony, the impression that the LORD intended to make upon His people
was, "Be ye holy; for I Am Holy" (1Peter 1:16). Don't take the LORD for granted! He is God Almighty and
DESERVES to be obeyed. "Sanctify yourselves
therefore, and be ye holy: for I Am the LORD your God" (Leviticus 20:7). Treat the LORD God with an especial respect. Go the extra mile
for Him. No one justifies more of your attention nor is more worthy of your resources.
"Neither will I offer burnt offerings
unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing" (2Samuel 24:24).
"13 And thou shalt put
upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister
unto Me in the priest's office. 14 And thou shalt bring his sons,
and clothe them with coats: 15 and thou shalt anoint them,
as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto Me in the priest's
office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout
their generations.
16 Thus did Moses: according to ALL that the LORD commanded
him, so did he."
|
"18 And Moses reared
up the Tabernacle, |
|
nd the LORD called unto Moses, and
spake unto him out of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If
any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the
cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock. 3 If his offering be
a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall
offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation
before the LORD. 4 And he shall put
his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to
make atonement for him."This is the blood of the Testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the Tabernacle, and all the
vessels of the ministry. 22 And almost all things
are by the Law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things
in the Heavens should be purified with these; but the Heavenly Things themselves
with better sacrifices than these. 24 For
Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures
of the True; but into Heaven itself, now to appear in the Presence of God for
us: 25 nor yet that He should
offer Himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every
year with blood of others; 26 for then must He often
have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now ONCE in the end of
the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the Sacrifice of Himself" (Hebrews 9:19-26).
"For Christ also hath once suffered
for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God" (1Peter 3:18). The "Atonement" is "at-one-ment" with God through the unselfish
Sacrifice made by Jesus Christ. "We also
JOY in God through our LORD Jesus Christ, by Whom we have now received The Atonement" (Romans 5:11).The fact that the word "atonement" is used only once in the New Testament testifies
to the completeness of the act. "10 We
are sanctified through the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all...
12
