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CONSECRATION
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Jesus, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.
Jesus, we belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
THE WORD OF THE LORD
Exodus 19:1–6 ESV
On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain, while Moses went up to God. The LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
CONSIDER THIS . . .
What’s the point of getting out of Egypt anyway?
Why did the Lord go to all that trouble to get Israel out of Egypt? What’s the point of the exodus?
To put it another way: What’s freedom for?
Exodus 19:1–6 make up arguably the most important paragraph in Exodus. Back at the burning bush (3:12), the Lord told Moses that when he and the people would arrive again at Mount Sinai, he would know for certain that God is faithful. So, they have finally arrived at Mount Sinai, and the Lord reveals to Moses the purpose all along of the exodus. The Lord tells the Israelites that they have seen with their own eyes what he did to the Egyptians and that the journey through the wilderness has had a purpose—the Lord didn’t bring them into the desert to kill them like they complained, but rather he brought them “on eagles’ wings” through the desert to this mountain for a purpose.
But before the Lord reveals that purpose, he sets out the term of the covenant he is making with Israel. A contract is a short-term agreement, but a covenant is a lifelong, binding promise. The people need to listen and obey, and if they do so they will then be God’s special nation among all the nations of the earth. The whole earth belongs to the Lord, yes, but Israel is especially chosen to represent the Lord to the nations. In fact, Israel is meant to be a “kingdom of priests.” Priests mediate between God and man and they both represent people to God and God to people. That’s Israel’s special job—to represent the Lord.
Just as at the burning bush, here Moses goes up the mountain to receive a commission from the Lord, but this time the commission is for all the people. Previously, they served Pharaoh, but now they are to serve the Lord. Just as Moses received his identity at the burning bush, so here the people receive their identity as the Lord’s special people.
The apostle Peter drew upon this story when he wrote 1 Peter in the New Testament:
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. (2:9–12)
The purpose of God’s people is to represent the Lord to the nations, so that the nations can come to know him, trust him, and receive life in his name. What follows in Exodus with the Ten Commandments and the subsequent laws are specific ways that God’s people are to live so that they can draw the nations to the Lord.
What a beautiful calling, church! We get to represent the Lord to the world. We get to share the good news of God’s love.
P.S. Note in verse 1 that the entire calendar has reset with the exodus. From now on, Israel will mark time from the day of their liberation.
PRAYER
Lord, you have chosen us to be a light to the nations. Set us apart, therefore, Lord, and shine through us so that others will see and be drawn to you. Purify us and give us strength for the mission. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
JOURNAL PROMPTS
- Priests intercede for the people. How can you intercede for someone today in prayer? What situation or need do you need to be lifting up to the Lord on someone else’s behalf?
- Holiness is being set apart. Are there areas in your life in which you have become too much like the surrounding culture? Where do you need God’s Spirit to make you more holy?
- The church has a mission for the world. When you go about your day today, how can you carry forth that mission?
SING
Today, we will sing “Here I Am, Lord” (Hymn 589) from the Seedbed hymnal, Our Great Redeemer’s Praise.
For the Awakening,
Andrew Forrest
Andrew Forrest is the senior pastor of Asbury Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Raised in West Africa and Virginia, he is a third-generation pastor and church planter. He blogs at AndrewForrest.org.
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4 Responses
Mark, so glad you are leading us through this difficult part of Exodus. I love the way you included the scripture from I Peter to show our calling. Seeing the bridge between the Old and New Testaments is helpful. Also, it’s good to sing with you!
May I, with praise, repeat what Luanne has said. My husband Craig and I are blessed this morning.
The Bible and the current state of Israel seem to show the same thing… Even the people of Israel are prone to just go back to living how they want to, not really acknowledging God that much.
It just doesn’t look like it’s that much different from anyone else.
And there are far more people on the planet that are Asian then that are of abrahamic descent.
And yet the Bible says that the children of Abraham, from which Israel comes, will be like the sands of the sea or the stars in the sky. Again there are more Asians on this planet today then non-asians.
And I don’t have a problem with that at all. Just saying that simple observation raises some serious questions.
Thank you Andrew. It brings back good memories hearing you. Your book was excellent.