Recap

So far in Exodus, we've witnessed a rollercoaster of events, from abject slavery to miraculous liberation. The Israelites, once welcomed guests in Egypt, find themselves shackled and oppressed. Amidst this grim reality, Moses was born, narrowly escaping death and growing up in Pharaoh's palace. His life takes a sharp turn when he kills an Egyptian, leading to his exile and a divine encounter with God via a Burning Bush.

Returning to Egypt, Moses and Aaron face Pharaoh's obstinance, countered by God's awe-inspiring plagues. The final straw comes with the Passover, where the Israelites are spared, but the Egyptians suffer the loss of their firstborns. This leads to the Israelites' exodus from Egypt, guided by God and Moses' staff, culminating in the parting of the Red Sea and the drowning of Pharaoh's army.

However, the journey to Sinai isn't smooth sailing. Despite God's miraculous provisions, like manna and quail, the Israelites' faith falters. They grumble about food and question God's care, failing the divine tests set before them. Their disobedience attracts the attention of the Amalekites, leading to a battle where Moses, supported by Aaron and Hur, raises his staff as a symbol of God's power, securing victory for the Israelites.

We also saw Moses, overwhelmed by the burden of leadership, receiving sage advice from his Midianite father-in-law, Jethro, to delegate responsibilities.

Exodus 19-21

We now move into the second half of Exodus. The first half charted Israel’s journey out of oppression in Egypt and into freedom. Now that the people are fully out of Egypt and have reached Mount Sinai, the focus shifts to God making a covenant with his people. A commitment to have a relationship with them.

Up until now, the commitment was made to individuals. He promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But here he makes this commitment to a whole nation of people (Exodus 19:4-6).

What’s interesting is God’s desire for the Israelites to become a ‘kingdom of priests’ (Exodus 19:6). The role of the priest was to come close to God on behalf of someone. It would seem then that God wanted that closeness with all Israelites. They wouldn’t need an intermediary, but could come close to God themselves.

And, in keeping with God’s desire to use the Israelites to bless the world (Genesis 12:3) these Israelites as a nation would become priests to other nations, coming before God and interceding on their behalf.

For this relationship to function, there have to be some rules. Every couple has to at some point decide what is and isn’t acceptable in their relationship. So the next few chapters begin to outline the rules the Israelites need to follow in order to have a good relationship with God.

What’s important is that the Israelites realise they need to be wary the closer they get to the presence of God. God is powerful, and the fact that they can come to him should not be taken lightly. So they are told to prepare themselves so they are ready for God, and when he comes there is thunder and lightning and fire, to show his raw power.

We get the big Ten Commandments. It’s worth doing a study on these. For hundreds of years, the ‘New Christians’ course for the church was the Apostle’s Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments, so they’re worth knowing well.

There is one that I want to focus on though, and that’s number four, “you shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain” (Exodus 20:7). We often restrict this to not saying ‘God’ as a swear word. This doesn’t really do this commandment justice.

The Hebrew ‘nasah’ (נשׂא) has much more of a sense of carrying. When you carry someone’s name, you carry their reputation. In every town, there’s always one or two families that have a reputation. And anyone that carries that family’s last name carries the family reputation. We’ll say something like “there goes one of the Bradfords. I wouldn’t mess with them”.

That is the sense that is meant here. God is saying look, if you’re going to be one of my people, then you’re taking and carrying my name and my reputation with you.

For example, when you decide to call yourself a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, you are now a representative for Jesus and other Christians. You carry that reputation.

If you are not living in a way that lines up with God’s ways, you are giving Christians, and therefore Jesus, a bad name. So when God is telling the Israelites “do not take my name in vain” he’s not worried about them using his name as a swear word, he’s concerned that they carry his name well. That they do not drag his name through the mud by behaving poorly and not loving right.

This is an important reminder for us today. If we call ourselves Christians, then we can’t just live however we want. We can’t do things that are going to give Jesus a bad name. Instead, we have to do our best to represent Jesus well to the world around us.

If the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 are the covenant highlights, Exodus 21-24 then goes on to flesh out the covenant in more detail. First comes a section on civil and criminal laws.

These laws include what you can and can’t do with a slave, which crimes can be punished with death, and much more. While many modern readers might struggle with the idea of slavery, the Ancient Israelites’ practice of slavery is vastly different to what we see it as.

Rather than a strict case of one human owning another, this was where someone who had fallen on hard times could sell themselves to another person, and then work off that debt for no longer than seven years. In a time where there was no welfare system, this setup would be a lifeline for many.

It’s also worth reading these laws as teaching principles. For example, in Genesis 21:33-34 we read a law about what happens if someone digs a pit and someone else’s animal falls into it. This feels like an oddly specific law. But instead, we can view it as teaching us the principles of what happens when something bad happens because of someone’s negligence. In this case, the negligent person is responsible for making it right.

When reading through these laws, try thinking beyond the specifics to what principles this law is trying to communicate.

Psalm 23

If Psalm 22 is one of the most famous lament psalms, Psalm 23 is one of the most famous psalms of trust. It is attributed to king David.

Psalm 23:1-4 - The Lord as shepherd

Psalm 23:5-6 - The Lord as host

A short psalm, Psalm 23 is dedicated entirely to declaring God’s faithfulness and loving kindness to his people. He is a God who protects and provides. It uses two different metaphors to do this.

The first is of a shepherd. Just as sheep don’t need to worry about their needs, or try to provide for themselves, God’s people can trust that God has all their needs in hand.

And this isn’t just a nice saying that isn’t grounded in reality. When the Israelites were in the wilderness for forty years, God catered for all of their needs (Deuteronomy 2:7).

God’s provision for his people is a source of rest and reinvigoration. He leads them to rest, provides them water for their first, and even guards their souls, leading them in righteousness.

The psalm then looks at the forces of darkness and death and points out that even those carry no power before God. His people need not fear these things because God will protect and comfort them.

Which leads us to our second metaphor, a generous host. God invites his people into his presence and creates space for them. Even when it feels like they are surrounded by enemies, God is still there providing for them.

But the greatest gift is not God’s provision, but his presence. The psalmist ends, grateful that they are allowed to dwell in God’s presence.