Sunday School Lesson on Moses

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Sunday School Lesson on Moses

Introduction

A. Keeping Your Word

Governor William Penn arrived in NorthAmerica on October 27, 1682. One of his first ac-lions was to confer with the leaders of nearby In-dians. Penn and his men arrived unarmed, as didthe Indians. Penn spoke through an interpreterand gave the principles that he intended to fol-low. Penn said that since they were all of oneflesh and blood, and therefore brothers, theywould settle any disputes in council, not withwarfare. There would be openness and love. One account notes that the Indian chiefs said that aslong as the rivers ran and the sun shone thatthey would live in peace with Penn's children.

For over 70 years there were no battle cries be-tween the two groups. It is easy to conclude thatthe original participants kept the words that theyhad spoken as a treaty or covenant.
When an individual becomes a Christian, heor she becomes a part of the new covenant that isprovided through Christ. It is evident that manypeople want the benefits of the covenant, butthey do not desire to fulfill their covenantalobligations. To keep one's commitment to Christseems to have an extremely low priority—unlessthere is a crisis, and then prayers and lamentsare expressed that implore God to hear and an-swer the prayers.

The conscientious person will always try tokeep his or her word. Whether that word is sim-ply spoken, involves a handshake, is a lengthybusiness contract, concerns marriage vows, orconfesses Jesus as Lord: keep your word!

B. Lesson Background

The statistics given in Genesis and Exodusshow that them are 621 years between the lessonof last week (Genesis 17, which states that Abra-ham was 99 years old) and the initial giving ofthe law through Moses at Mount Sinai. The firstof the 621 years is the time between the promiseof Isaac's birth and its fulfillment when Abrahamwas 100 years old.

Three references account for the other 620years. Isaac's age is given as 60 when Jacob isborn (Genesis 25:26). Jacob, upon the occasion ofhis family's entering Egypt, states that he is 130years old (47:9). Finally, Exodus 12:40, 41 statesthat the Israelites spent 430 years in Egypt.Many familiar events of biblical history arewithin that period of 620 years. With the help ofhis mother, Rebekah, Jacob deceived his father inorder to receive the patriarchal blessing. Jacobwas compelled to flee from the wrath of hisbrother, and Ile goes to Padan-aram to find awife. (He never saw his mother again.) Jacobhimself was deceived by his Uncle Laban: onJacob's wedding night he received Leah as hiswife instead of Rachel—the younger sister forwhom he had worked seven years. After oneweek Rachel became his wife also. These twowomen plus their two handmaids became themothers of the 12 sons of Jacob.

The providential work of God shows itself inthe fascinating account of Joseph being sold intoslavery by his brothers. Joseph rose to be second-in-command of Egypt. In a time of famine,

Joseph was able to provide for his father, his 11brothers, and their families.

The Israelites entered Egypt as a family, but430 years later they left as a nation. The militarycensus of men over age 20 totaled 603,550, andthat did not include the tribe of Levi (Numbers 1:46, 47).

Moses became the leader of that nation. Theevents of his birth, exile at age 40, and his initialcall by God at age 80 are thrilling to read. The 10plagues credentialed Moses' leadership for thenation. They demonstrated to the Egyptians thatthe God of Israel was the only God. As a result,the pharaoh finally allowed this "nation ofslaves" to begin its journey back to the land thathad been promised to Abraham.
In Exodus 12 several things of importancewere noted. First, instructions were given so thatthe Israelites could be spared the death of theirfirstborn in the tenth plague. Second, the depar-ture from Egypt gave rise to the Passover and theFeast of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12:14, 15,43-49; 13:3-10). Third, the Lord announced thatthe nation of Israel was to have its own calendar,beginning with the month that they left Egypt(Exodus 12:2). It was a lunar calendar, with eachnew moon marking the beginning of a month.

I. Arrival at Sinai(Exodus 19:1, 2)

As our lesson opens. The year is about 1446 Sc.

A. Departure Remembered (v. 1)

1. In the third month, when the children ofIsrael were gone forth out of the land of Egypt,the same day came they into the wilderness ofSinai.
The experiences of the Israelites after leavingEgypt involved several miracles that should havedeveloped trust in the Lord. These mighty worksof God included the pillar of fire or cloud (Exo-dus 13:21; 40:36), the crossing of the Red Sea(Exodus 14), the making of bitter water intosweet water (15:25), the provisions of manna inthe mornings and quail in the evenings (16:12),Moses' striking of a rock to produce water (17:6),and an unusual method of victory over enemies (17:11-13).

The Israelites reach the area of Sinai in thethird month. The exact meaning of that phrase isuncertain. Does it mean the first day of the thirdmonth, or does it imply that it is exactly threemonths since leaving Egypt? The traditionalview is that it is the first day of the third month.

B. Destination Reached (v. 2)

2. For they were departed from Rephidim,and were come to the desert of Sinai, and hadpitched in the wilderness; and there Israelcamped before the mount.

Three major events occur after the Israelitesreach Rephidim (Exodus 17. 18). This is (1) wherethe Israelites receive water from a rock, (2) wherethey are victorious over the Amalekites, and (3)where Moses receives advice from his father-in-law on the importance of delegating leadershipduties to others.
The arrival at Sinai fulfills the promise thatwas made to Moses. In this very place he hadturned aside to see the burning bush (Exodus3:2, 4). God had promised the sign that whenMoses brought the people out of Egypt that hewould serve God here.

The exact location of Mount Sinai is uncer-tain. About 15 different sites are suggested! Re-cently a theory has been proposed that a certainmountain in Saudi Arabia (ancient Midian)could be Mount Sinai, but access to it is deniedfor any thorough investigation.

The Israelite nation spends almost a year atSinai. It is interesting that archaeologists are notable to find evidence of such an encampment atthe traditional site. The important fact is that theevents recorded did take place, even if archaeol-ogy cannot accurately determine the location.

II. Announcements at Sinai(Exodus 19:3-6)

This new nation needs a constitution—acovenant to guide them in their daily living be-fore God and with their fellow humans. Sinai isthe place where it is to be given.

A. Ascent by Moses (v. 3)

3.And Moses went up unto God, and theLORD called unto him out of the mountain, say-ing, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob,and tell the children of Israel.

What a privilege it is to be addressed person-ally by God himself! But with great privilegecomes great responsibility. God isn't just makingsmall talk wills Moses. God has a vital message todeliver to the house of Jacob, and . . . the childrenof Israel. Sr.1 quest inn #1, page 32.I
The expression house of Jacob is used onlyhere in the writings of Moses. The phrase thechildren of Israel is probably just a parallel ex-pression of the previous phrase. This is typical ofHebrew literature. If there is any significance inthe difference, it may be a subtle reminder thatto be able to change another person's name (asGod changed Jacob's name to Israel in Genesis32:28; 35:10) indicates that you are superior tothat person. (See examples in 2 Kings 23:34;24:17.) By using both terms, God may be assert-ing that He has the right to grant covenants. Heis both God and Lord!

B. Assertions by the Lord (vv. 4-6)

4.Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians,and how I bare you on eagles' wings, andbrought you unto myself.

The opening phrase Ye have seen what I slidunto the Egyptians is a reminder that the Lord hasthe credentials to provide a covenant. The secondassertion how I bare you on eagles' wings is a re-minder of how God has provided for the Is-raelites' every need on the journey to Sinai(compare Deuteronomy 32:11).

The implication

5.Now therefore, if ye will obey my voiceindeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall bea peculiar treasure unto me above all people:for all the earth is mine.

The little word if indicates that the Lord isready to announce the stipulations of the cove-nant. The requirement is that Israel is to obey theLord and keep the covenant's terms. Acceptingand entering into a covenantal relationship isoften rather simple. It is the keeping of a cove-nant over an extended period of time that be-comes difficult! I Spe quest ion #3 nilge 32.EThe first stated blessing is that Israel will lieelevated above other nations (above all people).God does not, however, surrender His controlover the nations, for the final phrase is a re-minder that God owns the entire earth.

The expression peculiar treasure may refer toa valuable possession owned by a king. The con-cept shows the special relationship that God'speople have. In the New Testament the conceptis applied to Christians (Ephesians 1:14; Titus2:14; 1 Peter 2:9).

6.And ye shall be unto me a kingdom ofpriests, and a holy nation. These are the wordswhich thou shalt speak unto the children ofIsrael.

The second blessing of the pending covenantis that /sine/ will be a kingdom of priests. A priesthas access to God in prayer. This concept is alsoapplied to Christians in 1 Peter 2:9 and Revela-tion 5:10. (See itiestitm #4.

The final phrase that Moses delivers is a chal-lenge for Israel to be a holy nation. God's holi-ness is foundational. Those who serve God arecommanded to be holy as He is holy (Leviticus11:44, 45; 1 Peter 1:16).

A TREASURED POSSESSION

If you ever stand in the check-out line at thegrocery store, you know the name of AnnaNicole Smith from the tabloids. While workingas an "exotic dancer" in 1991 at age 23, she metJ. Howard Marshall II, age 86. They married in1994; he died about a year later. Very quickly,the legal fight for the "treasured possession" ofMarshall's $780 million estate began. Smithclaimed her husband had promised her half ofhis estate.
After six years, a court awarded her $475 mil-lion. Another court subsequently ruled in favor
of Marshall's son and left Smith with no money.Still another court later ruled in her favor andgave her $88.5 million. Then in 2004, that rulingwas reversed and Smith was again without an in-heritance. As they say at the end of some televi-sion programs, "To be continued"!

Israel was to become God's treasured posses-sion, a concept that cannot be valued in mone-tary terms—not $88.5 million, not $475 million.not $780 million! But along with privilege carnethe responsibility to be a holy nation. Sadly, thiswas a duty that the people failed to perform.God's covenants contain both duty and privilege.Our covenant with God through Christ is no dif-ferent from the others in this respect. "Be yeholy; for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16).

III. Accepting the Covenant(Exodus 24:3-8)

The material between the two segments oftoday's lesson contains the covenant's funda-mentals, including the 10 Commandments. TheIsraelites may be free from their slavery in Egypt,but this new freedom must be accompanied byvirtuous living. Otherwise, chaos and anarchywill be the result.

A. Resolve of the People (v. 3)

3. And Moses came and told the people allthe words of the LORD, and all the judgments:and all the people answered with one voice,and said, All the words which the Loon hathsaid will we do.
The first two verses of the chapter tell of yetanother trip up the mountain by Moses, and thistime he was accompanied by others. WhenMoses descends the mountain, his purpose is totell the people all that God has prescribed. IS,question 05, page 32.1 The people pledge theirobedience with one voice. This is the secondsuch affirmation by the people (see Exodus 19:8for the first one).

PROMISES, PROMISES

If you plan to lie to someone, make sure youaren't near an MRI machine! Magnetic Reso-nance Imaging can show a difference in brain ac-tivity between liars and truth tellers.
A 2004 study at Temple University School ofMedicine showed that different parts of the brainare used for lying and truth telling. Seven areasof the brain were activated in subjects who liedand only four were used in the brains of thosewho told the truth. One conclusion drawn fromthe study was that it takes more work to lie than to tell the truth. And that's not counting thework it takes telling more lies to cover up thefirst one!

We've all heard the phrase promises, promisesspoken with sarcasm and disdain when some-one has a history of not keeping his or her word.We don't know whether the Israelites weretelling the truth when they gave multiple assur-ances to Moses that they would do whateverGod commanded them to do. Probably theywere sincere.

Yet we all know how easy it is to makepromises under the influence of a moment'semotional pressure and then forsake the promisewhen the moment is gone or when other pres-sures are at work on us. God could well have re-sponded, "Promises, promises!" Israel's exampleshould be a caution to us about the need to speakthe truth and then faithfully follow through withwhat we have vowed to do.

B. Responses by Moses (vv. 4-7a)

4. And Moses wrote all the words of the LoRn.and rose up early in the morning, and buildedan altar under the hill, and twelve pillars,according to the twelve tribes of Israel.

Three responses by Moses are given. First, hewrote what the Lord had communicated throughhim. In the past it was sometimes taught thatMoses may have used picture writing because atthis time in history alphabetic writing is not yetdeveloped. Such a theory is now proven to be in-valid because examples of alphabetic writinghave been found from the era in which Moseslived and even before his time. In 1999 the earli-est alphabetic writing discovered to date wasfound in Upper Egypt. It is dated to around 1900or 1800 Etc, hundreds of years before the exodus.Since Moses was trained in all the learning ofEgypt (Acts 7:22), his writing with an alphabet isnot a problem. If you had lived a century ago,you would have been hard pressed to answer thecritics on this issue. One lesson from this is thatit is essential to maintain your faith against suchattacks. You may not have the answers person-ally; however, in the places where God's Wordcan be tested against the evidence of archaeol-ogy, the integrity of the Bible is validated.After writing, Moses begins work early thenext day to construct an altar. He also erectstwelve pillars (or standing pillars), one for each ofthe tribes of Israel. These pillars not only repre-sent the tribes, but they seem to become a part ofthe ratification of the new covenant (see v. 8,below).

5.And he sent young men of the children ofIsrael, which offered burnt offerings, and sacri-ficed peace offerings of oxen unto the Loin,.Aaron (Moses' brother) and his sons are notyet functioning as priests; that won't come untilExodus 28. So Moses commissions young men ofthe children of Israel to offer burnt offerings andpeace offerings. Ordinarily, a burnt offering is completely burned (Leviticus t). For the peace offering, however, only a portion is burned, andthe remainder becomes something of a fellow-ship meal (Leviticus 3). This sharing is a part ofthe ceremony of commitment. The fact thatblood is shed to confirm the covenant adds to thesolemnity and seriousness of the event.

6.And Moses took half of the blood, and putit in basins; and half of the blood he sprinkledon the altar.
The reason for taking half of the blood andputting it in basins will be made clear in verse 8,below. For now, the other half of the blood issprinkled on the altar, perhaps to sanctify it.7a. And he took the book of the covenant, andread in the audience of the people.

The things that Moses had written are nowread in the presence of the people or at least be-fore Else leaders). The phrase book of the covenantis the designation for this early form of thecovenant (compare 2 Kings 23:2).

C. Ratification Completed (vv. 7b, 8)

7b, 8.And they said, All that the Lotto hathsaid will we do, and be obedient. And Mosestook the blood, and sprinkled it on the people,and said, Behold the blood of the covenant,which the Lotto hath made with you concerningall these words.

This marks the third declaration by the peoplethat they will keep the covenant (see commentson 9:3, above). They test the Lord's patience be-fore Sinai with their constant complaining, butfor now they express a determination to do whatthe Lord has said.

Moses completes the ceremony by taking theother half of the blood that was collected andsprinkling it on the people. Many have assumedthat the blood is actually sprinkled on the lead-ers who are near or that it is sprinkled on the 12pillars as representing the people (see v. 4). ForNew Testament references to the sprinkling ofblood, see Hebrews 9:13-22; 11:28.

The final part of the ratification process isMoses' declaration that this is the blood of thecovenant for all the words that the Lord had spo-ken. The ratification of the new covenant is com-plete, and it is in effect for this new nations.God's ultimate purpose for the nations is thatthe promised Messiah will be an Israelite andthat He will be a member of Else tribe of Judah.History records that these things are fulfilled justas God had promised. We have the blood of Jesussprinkled on us (Hebrews 12:24: 1 Peter 1:2).

Conclusion

A. Setting Your Priorities

Almost 2000 years ago a young man in Galileesaid something oboist seeking first the kingdomof God and the righteousness of God (Matthew6:33). The current culture prefers not to be re-minded of such claims by Jesus, so it has becomepreferred to avoid mentioning even His name.That same young man also said somethingabout the importance of confessing Him beforemen (Matthew 10:32). Only then will He ac-knowledge such persons to the Father in Heaven.As each Christian goes through life, he or shewill he making decisions that involve loyalties tothe Christ who gave the new covenant. It is possi-ble, but often difficult, to maintain the proper pri-orities when others have no respect for Jesus. Theconsequences of faithfulness are not always pleas-ant, but to do otherwise is a violation of covenant.It is a serious thing to be ashamed of Jesus.

B. Prayer

Almighty God, help us to make the rightchoices today in those areas that pertain to YourSon and His church. In the name of Your Sonand our Savior, amen.

C. Thought to Remember

Live up to the meaning of the new covenant.

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