The New Way Forward…
Israel accepted. The condition was received, and their lives would never be the same. The Law of God would be given to His chosen people–the Israelite nation. There would now be a way to God where there was otherwise no way. God’s promise to Abraham–God’s promise to all of humanity–would now (at this point in history) unfold one more layer of His redemption. How would a sinful person–a sinful community–more than mollify the God of all, but also be found acceptable in His presence? The Law of God. And so, the people–recognizing this new way–accepted God’s covenant, and pledged their obedience…
“All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do!””
Exodus 19:8a
But, will they keep their promise? Will they continue to listen (hear and obey) and love (full devotion) God? Will their hearts be bent toward the One who liberated them from slavery and will soon place them in an environment of provision and blessing? Will they? We shall see, but first, let’s consider the details of the Law of God in order to understand how it relates to us today.
What is the Law of God?
The Law of God as mediated by Moses to the chosen people of Israel is found in Exodus 20–>Deuteronomy. This is God’s provision for His people–at that time–to have fellowship with Him–to be in a relationship with the God who chose them among all the nations to be His possession. The Law will guide every aspect of their life: civic, military, social, religious, etc. But there’s more, watch the video below to see…
How Does this Apply to Us Today?
There is a standard–as detailed by God’s Law. The expectation is that it will be kept–perfectly. And if not, there are consequences–eternal and immedicable. The reality is no one can keep them, and as such each person receives a curse, i.e. sin stains. However, there’s hope. Someone did keep them perfectly, and He received the curse on humanity’s behalf. I’m once again getting ahead of the unfolding of the storyline, but consider the need–deep need–that the Law of God reveals in each person. Consider, the many ways you miss not just the letter of the Law of God, but the spirit. Consider your falling short of God’s holy standard–required to be in His fellowship–and thus how the Law of God shows you your need. Your need is to have the curse–given as a result of not being able to keep the law–removed. Only a perfect substitute will be accepted by a perfect God. Consider Christ.
— March 3, 2017