A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Numbers (Introduction, Part 2)

Several major events take place in Numbers 20. First we see the people complain—again—because there is no water at Meribah Kadesh. So God tells Moses to speak to the rock so that water might come out. But Moses, in his anger, instead strikes the rock with his rod, incurring the anger of God so that God would not allow him to see Canaan. Numbers 20:12—Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them." And we will see when we get to Deuteronomy that Moses does indeed die before the people get to the Promised Land. In Numbers 20:14-21 we see messengers being sent to the king of Edom to ask that he allow the people to simply pass through the land, that they would not turn to the left or to the right, and that they would not graze their flocks or their herds there (Numbers 20:17). They told him they would pass along the King’s Highway, an established trade route through the land. However the king of Edom would not allow it, which angered God as we will see later. In Numbers 20:22 God speaks to Moses, telling him to take the garments off Aaron and put them on Aaron’s son Eleazar, as Aaron was getting ready to pass away. They had traveled to Mount Hor, which is about halfway between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. And we see in Numbers 20:28 that Aaron did indeed die at Mount Hor, and when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, all the house of Israel mourned for Aaron thirty days. (Numbers 20:29).

As Numbers 21 opens, the people are complaining (I told you they do this a lot), so God sends fiery serpents to destroy the people. But we see a foreshadowing of the Cross here, as Moses sets up a serpent on a pole, that whoever looks upon that serpent would be healed and not die. We see recorded the words of our Savior in John 3:14—“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” Just as that serpent was lifted up, that whoever looked to it might not die, so our Lord Jesus was lifted up, that all who look to Him might be given eternal life! We then read of Sihon the king of the Amorites and Og of Bashan, how they opposed the people and also incurred the anger of God. We will briefly touch on some of the places in the Scriptures that speak of these two men, as we will see them again in Deuteronomy.

In Numbers 22-24 we read of Balaam, who was sent by Balak (king of Moab) to curse Israel, and the troubles that Balaam encountered in doing so. In a way, Balaam gets a bad rap, as he did not want to, at first, curse Israel, as God told him He would not curse the people, as He had blessed them (Numbers 22:11). And the more Balaam tried to curse the people, the more he realized he could not. And if you know Scripture, you know of Balaam riding a donkey and how an Angel of God stood in that donkey’s way, and that the donkey spoke to Balaam—and Balaam answered it! This gave rise to the hymn “I Saw An Angel In The Road” by Daniel Charles Damon:

I saw an angel in the road and quickly turned aside,

But Balaam had not seen it yet. My master tanned my hide.

Returning to the narrow way, the angel loomed so tall,

My master struck me when I scraped his foot against the wall.

But, fearful of the way ahead, I lay down on the ground.

My master struck again in rage until he heard this sound:

"What have I ever done to you that you abuse me so?"

A donkey speaks, an angel stands, and Balaam's tears now flow.

"Forgive me for the blows I gave in arrogance and fear.

Direct me, God, and help me speak the loving word I hear."                

Numbers 25 shows us that the people do not learn from their mistakes. The people, who have seen the mighty works of God, decided to commit harlotry with the women of Moab (Numbers 25:1) and began to worship the pagan god Ba'al (Numbers 25:3). What was God’s command in response to this rebellion? Numbers 25:5—"Every one of you kill his men who were joined to Baal of Peor." (Baalpeor, KJV) God does not tolerate insolence, and He let the people know that here, in no uncertain terms. In this instance, the penalty was death, as it was when the people enticed Aaron to form the Golden Calf at the foot of Mt. Sinai (Exodus 32:1-6). In the midst of all this, a man brings a Midianite woman to the people, and while he is in his tent having sex with her, Phinehas (son of Eleazar) puts a javelin through both of them (Numbers 25:8). And because of this action, God made a covenant with him that his descendants would be priests to Him (Numbers 25:12-13).

Numbers 26 shows us the second census of the people. The timing of this census is off, since we see in Numbers 26:63-64 that all those who were at Sinai had died off, as God promised in Numbers 14. This census probably came closer to the end of Deuteronomy.

Then in Numbers 27, we see some women come to Moses who had a question about inheritance. Their father died, leaving no sons, only daughters (Numbers 27:3-4). And since an inheritance of land went to sons, they would be left with no place to call home. So Moses asks God, “What shall we do for these?” The answer is that they were to be given a portion of the land given to their uncles, and these daughters were to get the land that their father would have gotten (Numbers 27:7). Then we see that God gave other commands about the people inheriting land (Numbers 27:8-11). At the end of the chapter, we see God telling Moses that his time to die is drawing near (Numbers 27:13), but that Moses will die without entering the Promised Land as punishment for striking the rock at Meribah Kadesh (Numbers 20:12). Moses pleads to have a man set over the people who will faithfully lead the people into the Promised Land (Numbers 27:16-17). So God chooses Joshua to lead the people when Moses passes away, and for Eleazar to be the High Priest, as these two men have been faithful in all the ways of God. We will probably look at Numbers 36 along with this chapter, as it extends the commands contained in this chapter.

Numbers 30 talks about how when a person takes an oath it is binding upon that person, and in Numbers 31 God commands the people to smite the Midianites for the evil that they had perpetrated against the people of Israel in Numbers 25. It should be noted that Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law (the father of his first wife Zipporah) and Hobab, whom Moses pleaded with to be the eyes and ears of the people while they were traversing the wilderness, were Midianites. This will show us that even in the midst of a wicked people, there may be some that do believe in God, like Rahab in Jericho in the Book of Joshua.

In Numbers 32 we read about the Tribe of Gad and the Tribe of Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh not desiring to cross the Jordan after they saw that the land of Gilead was good for grazing cattle, which these tribes had in abundance (Numbers 32:1-5). However, Moses confronts them, saying that it is not right that their brethren should cross the Jordan and fight while these two tribes stay behind. So a deal is made that they will go over Jordan with the other tribes and fight, and when the land is settled they will return to Gilead (Numbers 32:16-27). And they fulfilled their promise, which can be seen in Joshua 22:1-34.

Numbers 33 lists the itinerary of the people for most of the chapter, but ends with a stern warning from Moses, that if the people do not utterly drive out the inhabitants of the land God is giving them, it will cause them to stumble before God (Numbers 33:55-56), and that God will do to the people of Israel what He thought of doing to the inhabitants of the land. And if you read ahead in the Scriptures, you will see this come to fruition in the wavering of the people of Israel between worshipping God and worshipping the pagan gods. For a good example of this, you need not read further than Judges 2. The people all cry out, with one voice, Joshua 24:16—“Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods.” Yet two chapters later, we see the death of Joshua in Judges 2:8, and his body isn’t hardly even cold yet when we read Judges 2:11—Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals. Which is why we need to always be careful to walk circumspectly (Ephesians 5:15), and never let our Adversary gain even a foothold, knowing the sway he can hold over us. We also see in Israel’s history, after the death of King David, how the people of Israel vacillated between the true worship of God and the false worship of the Baals and Ashtoreths.

In Numbers 34 Moses lays out the borders of the Promised Land, and in Numbers 35 he tells about the cities of refuge that are to be given to the Levites for the man guilty of involuntary manslaughter to flee to until he can lay his case out. We know that the Decalogue contains the commandment “Thou shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13). But what if a man kills another man unintentionally? What if his hand swings a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies (Deuteronomy 19:5)? If that were to happen, the one who swung the axe would flee to one of these cities of refuge where he could escape the “avenger of blood” (a family member of the victim who was seeking revenge) until he could remain safely until his case could be heard and he could—if it was found that he did not intend to kill the victim—be vindicated.

As you can see, there is a lot of complaining in this book. Many times the people are not happy with the way Moses does things, even though he is faithful to God in performing his duty. Things haven’t changed a whole lot in the millennia since these things occurred. Many times, no matter how faithful we are to God, things don’t go the way we want them to and we complain. Or we see that one of our neighbors has something we don’t have, and we complain because we don’t have that thing. We need to be on our guard against those feelings, as they can lead us to do something rash and harm our neighbor and in doing so, disobey God and do things He has commanded us to not do. And if we desire that thing too much it can cause us to take our eyes off God and focus them on ourselves.

Lord, help us to always remember that our first duty is not to ourselves, but to You. For You are above all things, You hold the world and all creation in your hand, and at any moment You may require our life from us. Let us never complain about anything You have given us, knowing that everything we have comes from You, and whatever You decree us to have, we should accept with all joyfulness. Let us always purge out from our lives those things which stand against you, and all those things which associate themselves with the unfruitful works of darkness. Let us always be thankful in all things.

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen.                                                  

A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Finishing Exodus

Have you ever talked to someone who just heard some good news and they were just happy-happy-happy? We may tell them something like, “Wow, there’s just this glow about you!” Not that their skin is actually glowing—unless they’ve been out at the Y-12 nuclear facility out in Oak Ridge—but they’ve just got this look about them. Well, today we’re gonna see that when Moses came back down with the tablets of the covenant, he had a certain glow about him—but in this case, he was actually glowing.

Exodus 34:29-35—29 Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses' hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. 30 So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him; and Moses talked with them. 32 Afterward all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them as commandments all that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. 33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. 34 But whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with Him, he would take the veil off until he came out; and he would come out and speak to the children of Israel whatever he had been commanded. 35 And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with Him.

We saw a couple weeks ago Exodus 33:11—The LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. If you were to speak with God, face-to-face, would you ever be the same? I would think not. Well, Moses spoke with God face-to-face—we actually talked about that briefly a couple weeks ago—and he was never the same. We see many times that when God would speak to a person, and reveal just a portion of His glory to that man, that man would never be the same. Isaiah 6:1-8—1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple…5 So I said: "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts"…8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me." And as an added bonus, guess whose glory it was that Isaiah saw? Read John 12:37-41.

There was a fellow named Job. We’ve heard of people having “the patience of Job”—he wasn’t quite as patient as people would like to think he was. In Job 1:1—There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. Job was a “good person” and Job “deserved” to be saved, right? For the first 37 chapters, Job almost sounds as if he is making that case, trying to convince himself and his friends that he didn’t deserve all the calamities that happened to him. Then, in Job 38-41, God lays out roughly 85 questions for Job to answer. Job 38:4-7—“4 Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?...5 Who determined its measurements?...Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” And God just knocks down every high thought that Job might have of himself and in Job 42:1-6—1 Then Job answered the LORD and said: “2 I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You…5 I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. 6 Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” 

And then there was a fellow who lived in the area around the Sea of Galilee, about 2000 years ago, made his living as a fisherman. His name was Simon bar-Jonah. Met a man one day—not just ANY man, of course—and his life was never the same. In fact, even his name got changed. Luke 5:4-8—4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." 5 But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" Now, notice something in all three of these episodes. When all these men saw the Lord, what was their reaction? They saw God as being the glorious God that He is, and they saw themselves as being the vile, dirty sinners they were. Isaiah 6:5—"I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips…for my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts" Job 42:5-6—“5 Now my eye sees You. 6 Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” Luke 5:8—"Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" 

That SHOULD be our reaction. Whenever we go into the presence of the Lord through prayer, our attitude should not be “OK, God, I'm going to twist your arm to make You give me all of my material wants!” Even though there are many who make a lot of money teaching people that very thing. In fact, one fellow said the following:  “As a believer, you have a right to make commands in the name of Jesus. Each time you stand on the Word, you are commanding God to a certain extent because it is His Word.” But I won't mention Kenneth Copeland by name. Our attitude should be one of dependence and poverty, knowing that everything belongs to God, we own nothing, we deserve even less, and that it is only by God’s grace and mercy that we have anything. Unlike another fellow who said, “Let me be very clear—I want your money. I deserve it. This church deserves it.” But enough about Rod Parsley. We do not go to God and “command Him to a certain extent.” We do not command Him to ANY extent. He’s God—we’re not. Isaiah realized that; Job realized that; Simon Peter realized that—yet many who prop themselves up as preachers and teachers don’t get it. Our prayers should not be centered and focused on ourselves. Or on any other human for that matter. The focus of our prayers should start and end with God and His glory. When we pray for our friend to be healed, or when we pray for our loved one to find a job, the focus of our prayer should not end with that person being healed or finding a job—it should begin, end, and have one theme running all throughout it--that thing being the desire to see God glorified through us and through that person and how God will work through their circumstances.

If you want to see an example of a man-centered prayer--one in which the one praying tells God how much the person deserves to have God hear him--turn to Luke 18:10-13—“10 Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'” There was a writer named E.M. Bounds, who wrote VOLUMES on prayer. And in one of his works, called The Essentials of Prayer, he uses the episode of the Pharisee and the tax collector from Luke 18 to show us the kind of humility we should have when we pray.

“The Pharisee seemed to be accustomed to prayer. Certainly he should have known by that time how to pray, but alas! Like many others, he seemed never to have learned this invaluable lesson…The position and place are well-chosen by him. There is the sacred place, the sacred hour, and the sacred name, each and all invoked by this seemingly praying man. But…although schooled to prayer, by training and by habit, he prays not. Words are uttered by him, but words are not prayer…pride has poisoned his prayer offering of that hour. His entire praying [is full of] self-praise, self-congratulation, and self-exaltation…On the other hand, the [tax collector], smitten with a deep sense of his sins and his inward sinfulness, realising how poor in spirit he is, how utterly devoid of anything like righteousness, goodness, or any quality which would commend him to God…falls down with humiliation and despair before God, while he utters a sharp cry for mercy for his sins and his guilt…Here we see by sharp contrast the utter worthlessness of self-righteousness, self-exaltation, and self-praise in praying, and the great value, the beauty and the Divine approval which comes to humility of heart…when a soul comes before God in prayer. Happy are they who have no righteousness of their own to plead and no goodness of their own of which to boast. Humility flourishes in the soil of a true and deep sense of our sinfulness and our nothingness. Nowhere does humility grow so rankly and so rapidly and shine so brilliantly, as when it feels all guilty, confesses all sin, and trusts all grace.” 

A couple of Scriptures before we move on. Matthew 6:7—“And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” Philippians 4:6—Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. That word ‘supplication’ means that we come to God admitting that we have nothing and that every thing He gives us is a gift of His grace. This whole “name-it-and-claim-it” nonsense is just that—nonsense. Not every single believer is going to be materially wealthy or physically well in this life. And we just need to accept that. In fact, one of those fellows, a man named Fred K. Price, would condemn our brother David here. Why, David, you don’t have any legs--how can you glorify God in that body? Quote from Mr. price--“How can you glorify God in your body, when it doesn't function right?....What makes you think the Holy Ghost wants to live inside of a body where He can't see out through the windows, and He can't hear out the ears?” James 4:2-3 (NASB)—2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. When people pray something like, “God, give this to me because I want it!” They need to ready themselves for the fact that He might just say “no.” And we have to be okay with that. The point, again: God is God, we are not. Any “God” that we can command by our “faith” is an idol. Do with that what you will.

There’s another point I want to make with this episode of the shining face of Moses. The apostle Paul uses this episode to show how we humans cannot understand the things of God unless He helps us understand. 2nd Corinthians 3:7-16—7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious. 12 Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech—13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Notice something here—Moses used that veil to cover what? His face. Why? Because it was shining with the glory of the LORD. BUT—in 2nd Corinthians 3:14, what does the veil cover? It covers the hearts of those who do not believe. Specifically, those who were still clinging to the Law of Moses for their salvation. 2nd Corinthians 3:14—But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. The OT—from Genesis to Malachi—was filled with pictures and prophecies and shadows and figures of Christ. But that’s Paul’s point here—Christ was in the OT but He was, so to speak, behind the veil of the Law and the Prophets. You see Christ all throughout the OT—but only in shadows and figures, not in His fullness. However, now that He has come and revealed Himself, the veil that was the Law and the prophets has been removed. The writers of the OT wrote about Christ, but they used terms and phrases and word pictures which only gave glimpses of Christ. But, now have Christ as Lord and Savior revealed in His fullness. In fact, he told the church at Colosse, Colossians 2:16-17—16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. 

But, at the time that Paul wrote 2^nd Corinthians (and Colossians, and all of his epistles for that matter), the Jews still didn’t understand it. They still didn’t get it; they were still clinging to the Law and the Prophets. A couple of scriptures before we move on. John 5:39-40—“39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” Acts 26:22-23—“22 To this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come—23 that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.” Moses and the prophets said that? Really? Moses and all the other Old testament prophets said that "the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles"? Yes, they did. Luke 24:18-27—18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, "Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?" 19 And He said to them, "What things?" So they said to Him, "The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. 21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened…25 Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. All the Scriptures—being what? The Old Testament. And the OT is not only able to show us Christ, it is able to show us that salvation is by faith in Christ. 2nd Timothy 3:15—From childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. You don’t need a guy sitting on a fancy chair in Italy, along with his red-robed buddies, to tell you what the Scriptures mean. The Scriptures themselves have that ability. Even Moses shows us that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. But now, the veil has been removed from Moses by the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to fulfill all the things which were spoken of by the Law and the prophets—not just in types and shadows, but in full.

So, that concludes Exodus chapter 34, then chapter 35 we see the offering taken up for the construction and maintenance of the tabernacle and then we see the architectural firm of Bezalel and Aholiab, LLC called to oversee the project; in chapter 36 the tabernacle is constructed (but not raised up yet); chapter 37 shows the furnishings of the tabernacle being made (the Ark of the Covenant, the lampstand, the altar of incense, the table for showbread and the anointing oil and incense); in chapter 38 the making of the bronze wash basin that would sit between the altar of burnt offering and the tent; the curtain around the courtyard is made; in chapter 39 they make the garments for the priests. That just leaves us with Exodus 40. In Exodus 40:1-33 the tabernacle is set up, it is anointed with oil, purified with incense, and everything is put in, around, and over top of it. The sons of Aaron are outfitted in their garments and anointed for the priesthood.

Then, finally, Exodus 40:34-35—34 Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. God said He would do this, back in Exodus 29:43-44—“43 And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by My glory. 44 So I will consecrate the tabernacle of meeting and the altar.” We see much the same thing happen when Solomon finishes building the temple in Jerusalem, 1st Kings 8:10-11—10 And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD. While the tabernacle was being raised, and while the curtain between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place was being hung, there were probably people going in and out of the various parts of the tent. They almost had to in order to make sure everything was done right. But now that the glory of the LORD has rested on the tent, now that the glory of the LORD has sanctified everything about the tent, God has declared that this is His resting place, and all the commandments concerning where people can and can't go are now in force. Eventually the glory would dwell only “between the cherubim”—or, the angels—on top of the Ark of the Covenant and the priests would be able to enter the first part of the tabernacle, but only the high priest would be able to go beyond the veil and into the Most Holy Place, and then only once a year on the Day of Atonement (or Yom Kippur). 

Exodus 40:36-38—36 Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys. 37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the LORD was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys. Simple: now that the glory of the LORD has filled the tabernacle, it will stay here for a while. But, when the glory is lifted, they are to pack everything up, look for where the cloud is moving, and follow it. When the cloud stops, they stop. If the cloud doesn't stop, they don’t stop. It’s not like when you go on a long trip, and you ask the wife, “How about we stop here for the night? No? How about here? No? How about here?” It wasn’t up to the wives to decide where the cloud was going to stop. It wasn’t up to the priests, or the high priest, or Aaron or even Moses—God and God alone was the one who said where they would go and where and when they would stop. If the cloud goes east, the people go east. If the cloud goes west, the people go west. There was no, “Yeah, but it’s kinda dry here, doesn't seem very comfortable. How about we pitch it over there?” It was not a matter of where the people chose to go; it was God simply saying “Follow Me.” Hmmm…seems as though I remember reading how somebody else told some fellows “Follow Me.” And in fact, at one point when that Man said "We must go to Jerusalem," one of those fellows said, “No, surely You don’t want to go THERE.” But He did say, “Yes, I NEED to go there.” And wouldn’t you know it, we’re talking about good ol’ Simon Peter. Again.

Turn to Matthew 16:13-17—13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" 14 So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” Peter saw Christ for who He was—is. He saw Him as being the Christ of God. The Son of God, the Living Christ, the Messiah, Yehoshua Ha'Mishiacah. BUT—don’t forget, we’re talking about Peter. Skip down to Matthew 16:21-23—21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. 22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" 23 But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan!" The OT tabernacle was a picture of Christ. Christ dwelt in a tabernacle of flesh (John 1:14), and wherever that tabernacle went, His disciples were to follow. They were not to tell Him where to go, but He was to tell them where to go. He told two separate groups on two different occasions, “You guys go here and here and here, but don’t go there, or there or over there. Go only to the lost sheep of Israel, do not go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans” (Matthew 10:5-6).

He tells Simon Peter, “Blessed art thou Simon bar-Jonah…Get behind Me, Satan.” And this is another area where we fall short in our prayers. We sometimes have a tendency to say, “Lord, You can send me anywhere You want—just so long as it isn’t _____.” Or we tell God—and this is one we fall into quite easily, when we listen to our flesh—“Lord, I'm gonna do this, and You will have to bless the work”—even though it is something He didn’t call them to. Again, twisting God’s arm. Thou shalt not test the LORD thy God. God may lead us to a nice city, where we will have running water and all the creature comforts we silly humans think we need. Or, He may send us to Peru to live in the midst of some of the most impoverished people on the planet. But that doesn't matter. If He says “Go,” we need to go. He may send us to Sudan or China or Iran to be arrested and put in prison—maybe even beaten and killed. Not necessarily to have our “Best Life Now.” But that’s what happens when we pray the way we should. You'll hear folks say “Pray according to your faith—not according to His will.” That is about the most asinine a statement as a person can make.

How did Jesus teach us to pray? Some folks would have you think he said, "And when you pray, pray in this manner: Our Father, who Art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, According to my faith, make it so!..." However, God said--yes, GOD said--“Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.” The first type of prayer (“According to my faith, make it so!”) is the type of prayer that commands God. The second type of prayer (“Thy will be done”) is the type of prayer Christ commands. Can we command God to make Him do what we want? We are to pray in faith, knowing that God can do all things. The prayer that accomplishes the will of God—which, again, is what should be the focus of all our prayers—is “Thy will be done.” It may not be God’s will for us to be healthy and wealthy and prosperous. And we have to accept that. The Israelites did not tell God where He should lead them—we don’t tell God what He should do in our lives. This ain't a democracy; you don’t get a vote. Let me finish with the words of an old, old hymn.

“Take up thy cross and follow Me,” I heard my Master say;
"I gave My life to ransom thee, Surrender your all today."
Wherever He leads I'll go
I'll follow my Christ who loves me so, Wherever He leads I'll go.

He drew me closer to His side, I sought His will to know,
And in that will I now abide, Wherever He leads I'll go.

It may be thro' the shadows dim, Or o'er the stormy sea,
I take my cross and follow Him, Wherever He leadeth me.

My heart, my life, my all I bring To Christ who loves me so;
he is my Master, Lord, and King, Wherever He leads I'll go.
Wherever He leads I'll go, Wherever He leads I'll go,
I'll follow my Christ who loves me so, Wherever He leads I'll go.

Not the other way around.

JESUS CHRIST IS LORD. AMEN.

A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Two New Stones; The Sins of the High Priest

This week we will look at Exodus 34. There is a big front porch at the beginning, however.

We are actually only a week away from finishing Exodus. Today we're going over chapter 34, then chapters 35-39 simply record the construction of the tabernacle and the furnishings and the priestly garments we've already delved into in detail. So chapter 34 and chapter 40 will really be all we have left. Today we’re going to study a subject we find in Exodus 32 that I kinda passed right by when we were reading that chapter. Exodus 32:21—And Moses said to Aaron, "What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?" look at what he’s saying—Moses tells Aaron that Aaron brought the sin upon the people—even though the people were the ones clamoring for Aaron to make the golden calf. This is a principle that we find throughout the OT—the people are punished for the sin of either their high priest or their king. We see an example of this in Leviticus 4:1-3—1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying…“3 if the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people...” (The KJV says “If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people.” Not quite accurate). God considers the high priest to be the representative of the people. And when the high priest sins, being the representative of the people, he brings guilt not only on himself, but on the entire people. We see this fleshed out in 1st Samuel 3:12-13—“12 I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them.” And we see that promise fulfilled in 1st Samuel 4:10-21—10 So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent. There was a very great slaughter, and there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11 Also the ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died…19 Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, due to be delivered; and when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured…she bowed herself and gave birth…21 Then she named the child Ichabod, saying, "The glory has departed from Israel!" Was all of Israel involved in the sin of Eli and his sons? BUT—because Eli, being high priest, knew his sons were corrupting the most important office on earth, God laid that iniquity on the entire nation.

We see an example of a king bringing God’s wrath upon Israel for his own actions in the life of David. 1st Chronicles 21:2-12—2 So David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people, "Go, number Israel from Beersheba to Dan, and bring the number of them to me that I may know it." 3 And Joab answered, "May the LORD make His people a hundred times more than they are. But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? Why then does my lord require this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt in Israel?" 4 Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab...5 Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to David…7 And God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck—David? No, He struck Israel. 8 So David said to God, "I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing; but now, I pray, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly"…11 So Gad [the prophet for David] came to David and said to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Choose for yourself, 12 either three years of famine, or three months to be defeated by your foes with the sword of your enemies overtaking you, or else for three days the sword of the LORD—the plague in the land, with the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.'" It was David and David alone who decided to number Israel because of his own pride—but it was the entire nation who bore the brunt of God’s anger.

And as with many of the principles we’ve seen over the last couple weeks, this also goes back to the Garden of Eden and the sin of Adam. Were you born yet when Adam sinned? Not hardly. If you were, you look pretty good for your age. I haven’t met many 6000-year old people in that good a shape. We were not yet born when Adam sinned—but guess whose head that sin fell upon? Romans 5:12, 14—12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned…14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam. Why do we die? Because we sin. If you don’t want to die, don’t sin. Oops, too late. We die because we sin—and why do we sin? Because we inherit that from our father Adam. Did we choose to inherit that sin? BUT—just as the sin of Eli the high priest was imputed—or, put on the account of—the people of Israel; just as the sin of David was imputed to the people of Israel; and just as Moses told Aaron that he had brought sin upon the people, the sin of our great-great-great-skip a few-great grandfather Adam was imputed to us. How? Through birth. Psalm 51:5 (NET)—I was guilty of sin from birth, a sinner the moment my mother conceived me. Psalm 58:3 (NET)—The wicked turn aside from birth; liars go astray as soon as they are born. Let’s go back to Genesis, right after the flood. The waters subside, Noah builds an altar and makes a sacrifice to God, and God says, Genesis 8:21—“I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth.” 

That’s the bad news. However—that just gets you ready for the good news. Just as the sin of the high priest was laid on the people; just as the sin of the king was laid on the people; just as the sin of Adam was laid on us—we have One on whom our sin was laid, if we believe. In Romans 5:15-19 Paul lays out his case that even though all men were made sinners by Adam’s one sin, all who believe in Christ are made righteous by Christ’s one act of obedience. We’re gonna break it down verse-by-verse. Romans 5:15 (NASB)—But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if [since] by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many—because of Adam’s one act of sin, every man dies; grace and life were given to many because of Jesus’ one act of righteousness. Romans 5:16—The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification—the judgment is: Adam’s one sin brought condemnation to all who will ever be born; by one free gift we are justified and pardoned from many sins. Romans 5:17—For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ—pretty easy: because of the sin of one man, death reigned in all men; but because of the gift, righteousness will reign in those who receive grace. And then he sums it all up in Romans 5:18-19—18 So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. 19 For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. Just as Adam’s sin led to death to all men, Christ’s one act of righteousness is put into the account of all who will ever believe. He has perfected us, he has given us His righteousness to the point that we even become the righteousness of God in Him (2nd Corinthians 5:21).

And if we are in Christ, we are united to Him and we are one with Him. When Christ appeared to a young Pharisee named Saul of Tarsus, what was the question He asked him? Acts 9:4—"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" Did Saul arrest Christ? Was Christ being led to Jerusalem to be imprisoned and murdered? No. Who was it that Saul was leading to Jerusalem to be put in prison and killed? Christians. And as a matter of fact, they were not yet being called “Christians.” These people who were thought of as following the teachings of a dead Jewish rabbi were being called simply “The Way.” Acts 22:4—“I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.” What does Jesus call Himself in John 14:6—“I AM the Way, the Truth, the Life.” Matthew Henry— 

“He thought he was persecuting only a company of poor, weak, silly people, that were an offence and eye-sore to the Pharisees, [not thinking] that is was one in heaven that he was all this while insulting…Note, Those who persecute the saints persecute Christ himself, and he takes what is done against them as done against himself, and accordingly will be the judgment in the great day.” 

In fact, Jesus makes this very fact plain when He tells the people what He will say to the unrighteous in that Day, in Matthew 25:44-45—“44 Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' 45 Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'” However, when a good work is done for one of those who belong to Christ, it is counted as being done for Him. Matthew 10:40—“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” And when we receive Christ, we receive pardon for our sins, we are seated in the heavenly places with Him (Ephesians 2:6), and we are given His righteousness and His life—all because His one act of righteousness has overcome the one transgression committed by our father Adam.

So now turn to Exodus 34:1-7—1 And the LORD said to Moses, "Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke. 2 So be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself to Me there on the top of the mountain. 3 And no man shall come up with you, and let no man be seen throughout all the mountain; let neither flocks nor herds feed before that mountain." 4 So he cut two tablets of stone like the first ones. Then Moses rose early in the morning and went up Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him; and he took in his hand the two tablets of stone. 5 Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. 6 And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation.

A couple things before we get to the main point. Here is another example of the simultaneous judgment and the mercy of God, or as Paul called it Romans 11:22 (NASB)—The kindness and severity of God. He had just commanded the sons of Levi to slaughter 3000 of their fellow Israelites for their idolatry—yet He spared for the time being those who fled from that very same idolatry. A second thing I want to mention is this—in verse 7 God says He will “visit the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” There are folks who make a lot of money on the myth of the “generational curse.” If you “Send your $1000 seed and Pastor Pete will show you how to break your generational curses.” In the Hebrew, I believe the word they would use is “baloney.” Under the old covenant, did God “visit the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations”? Yes. However, does He do this under the NEW covenant, does God “visit the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations”? No. Ezekiel 18:1-4—1 The word of the LORD came to me again, saying, “2 What do you mean when you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying: ' The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge'? 3 As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel. 4 Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die.” And in that chapter God lays that out in more detail, that each man will be punished for his own sins—not for the sins of his father.

In fact, Jeremiah 31—in that passage where God announces He will make a new covenant—He says this very same thing, Jeremiah 31:29-32—“29 In those days they shall say no more: ' The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge.' 30 But every one shall die for his own iniquity; every man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge. 31 Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them,” says the LORD. So this notion that there are still “generational curses” is false—if you sin in the same way your father sinned, it’s because you chose to sin that sin—not because you are under some “generational curse.” People are responsible for their own sins—not for the sins of their parents. 

Exodus 34:8-9—8 So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped. 9 Then he said, "If now I have found grace in Your sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray, go among us, even though we are a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your inheritance." Do “good people” go to Heaven? Did Jesus come to save “good people”? No. In fact, I could stand here and rattle off verse after verse, chapter after chapter, that says that there is no such thing as a “good” person. And if anyone ever tells you that “Ya gotta get right before ya get saved,” tell them they're full of baloney. I won’t go so far as to call it heresy—but it’s a whole lot closer than I ever want to get. In fact, the first step in salvation is realizing that we are a filthy worm; we are a dirty, disgusting sinner who has hated God and that we need to be saved. In the Beatitudes, Jesus does not say, “Blessed are the wealthy…Blessed are those who know that they deserve to be saved…Blessed are the healthy and prosperous.” Matthew 5:3-10—“3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful…8 Blessed are the pure in heart…10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake.” And then, in Luke, we find Jesus reading off a list of woes to those who thought they were good enough to be saved. Luke 6:24-26—“24 But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25 Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets.” 

A little later on, when He called Matthew, a tax collector, to be one of His apostles, Matthew 9:11-13—11 When the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" 12 When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." Charles Spurgeon— 

“What was it that made Christ a physician at all? Was is not because men were sick with sin? Suppose they had been perfect—would Christ have ever been a Savior if men had not been lost? Brethren, it would have been…a folly, a monstrous folly, on His part—to undertake an office which was not required of Him! It is sin which makes room for His work as a Savior...It is sin which makes room for His work as a Savior…He is only a Savior because there are sinners and His Saviorship is based upon our sinnership!…What was it that made Him shed great drops of blood? Was it human guilt? Or do you think, perhaps, human merit? Why guilt, and guilt alone! What made Him give His back to the scourgers and His cheeks to the smiters? What made Him stretch His arms to the Cross and give His feet to the nails? What made Him bear the insufferable wrath of Almighty God? Was it man’s goodness? Why you cannot think of such a thing! It was human vileness, villainy, degradation, iniquity which made such sufferings as these all necessary! As I see, then, Christ…I see Him every moment thinking of sin! Sin! Sin! SIN! Man’s sin makes Him die.” 

And of course the apostle Paul picked up on that theme when he wrote in Romans 3:10-16—10 There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God…13 their throat is an open tomb…15 their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 destruction and misery are in their ways…18 there is no fear of God before their eyes. Who is the “they” in that paragraph? You. Me. The person sitting next to you. Let me read it for you the way if we want to get real about it. Romans 3:10-16—10 There is none righteous, no, not one—and that means me; 11 I do not understand; I do not seek after God…13 my throat is an open tomb…15 my feet are swift to shed blood; 16 destruction and misery are in my ways…18 there is no fear of God before my eyes. So, who deserves to be saved? No one! That’s why Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, in Ephesians 2:8-9—8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works. And because God has laid our sins to the charge of His Son Jesus Christ, He can truly say that He is Exodus 34:6-7—“6 The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but by no means clearing the guilty.” He does not simply brush off sin. There must be payment. Either you make the payment in Hell forever, or you accept that Christ made the payment for you.

Then in Exodus 34:10-26, God gives Moses a condensed version of that first covenant. If you recall, when Moses saw the people dancing around the golden calf, he took the two stone tablets which contained all the terms and conditions and commandments of that covenant and threw them down and they shattered—the first case of someone “breaking the Law.” So He tells Moses to cut out another set of tablets like the first. The first thing He commands is that the people not make a covenant with any of the pagan nations around them. We talked about that last week, and how it we are to be holy—sanctified, separate, set apart to God. Does that mean that we as Christians should completely avoid anyone who is not saved? Absolutely not! 1st Corinthians 5:9-11—9 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. 10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person. Jesus commands the church that if anyone is living in sin, and they won’t stop sinning, to go them personally, then take one or two witnesses, and then take them before the entire congregation, and then if they refuse to bend to the commands of Christ, to put them out of the church. And to not have anything to do with them. Can we be friends with people who do not know Christ and do not even claim to know Him? Yes. Are we to take part in the sinful things they do? No. And we are commanded to separate ourselves form those who claim to be a Christian while they are in the midst of living a life that is filled with things like fornication, idolatry and other such things. 

Exodus 34:27-28—27 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write these words, for according to the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel." 28 So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. “The Ten Commandments”—the Hebrew word translated ‘commandments’ is דַטַר (davar). It literally means ‘word.’ So, the “The Ten Commandments” would be more accurately translated “The Ten Words.” Therefore, we could read this to say, And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Words. It’s almost as if God was saying, “OK, you people couldn’t follow those commands, so let Me make it real simple for you. See these words? Follow them.” So God, again, takes His finger and writes on these tablets The Ten Words He wrote the first time. And one point I want to make before we finish up is this—here again we see in Moses almost a visual prophecy of Christ. Between Exodus 20 and Exodus 34, Moses goes up and down the mountain three times. Up in Exodus 20, down in Exodus 24. Back up again in Exodus 24, back down in Exodus 32. Went up in the beginning of Exodus 34, came back down at the end of the chapter.

Turn to Matthew 26:36-45—36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go and pray over there." 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me." 39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." 40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done." 43 And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 45 Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.” 

What happens when the people of God take their eyes off of God? They go to sleep. They get carried away into areas they shouldn’t ought to go. We see that with Moses—the people declare, “All that the LORD has said we will do and be obedient!” And yet when Moses goes up the mountain, what happens? “Hey Aaron, make us a cow to worship!” And Aaron says, “Duh, OK!” The people forgot the goodness of God and Aaron let himself get swept up into their idolatry. We see that here with Peter—who said, “Even if I go to prison, or even if they threaten my very life I will never deny You!” And yet, not too long after Christ leaves to pray in the garden, the apostles fall asleep, they scatter when the Romans come, and even Peter would eventually wind up denying he knew Christ—not once, but three times. Again, Charles Spurgeon— 

“He left 8 of His disciples at the entrance to the Garden…Thus, there ought to have been two [groups] watching and praying. If they had all been on the watch, they might have heard the footsteps of the approaching band and they would have seen…the lights of the lanterns and torches of these who were coming to arrest their Lord.” 

Or, as Jesus warned them in Matthew 26:41—“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.” Knowing that we are just as human as those apostles; we are just as human as the people at the bottom of the mountain who wanted to worship a cow, if we are not watching and praying, guess what we’re going to enter into? Temptation, and if we enter into temptation what else are we likely to enter into?

We conclude Exodus next time.

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen.