COME AS A CHILD LESSON 140 - THE FIRST PART OF TEN WAYS TO A GOOD LIFE

THE FIRST PART OF TEN WAYS TO A GOOD LIFE

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

So we find Moses still on the top of the mountain listening carefully to God.   

God has begun to explain to Moses about the ten ways that all of His people can have a better life.  God wishes for Moses to teach these ten ways to the people.  

These ten ways are the very basic steps to having a happy and joyful life full of love and health and order.  They applied back in the days of Moses; they apply now.  Jesus did not come to destroy the law; but to fulfill it!  

Jesus Christ kept every single law as He walked the earth.  That is what qualified Him to be The Perfect Lamb of God.  We are to follow Jesus and to immitate Him as best we can.  His grace is always sufficient when we fail; but we are to focus on trying not to break the laws of God; they are in our own best interest.  They were a gift from God that day as He spoke from the smoke and the lightning on the Holy Mountain.

These are the words that God uses as He begins to speak:

“I AM the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

Based on the way God begins to communicate here, do you think it is important for Moses and the people to know WHO God is and to recognize what all He has done for them so far?  

Yes!  I think that is very important!  

God had found them in their misery and toil.  He had rescued them from a life of bondage.  He had brought them out of a pagan land and a pagan culture and was bringing them back to a place of freedom, a place where they would be able to worship God as The One True God again.   He wanted to give them a GOOD life!

If you determine to worship God with all of your heart you must know that one thing is very important to God; and it is included in that first statement that God makes to Moses after God clearly states His soverign identity.  

That one important thing is: “YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME.”

The God who brought the Israelites out of Egypt IS the ONLY, ONE AND TRUE GOD that exists.  He makes this clear to the people right away.  They are not to worship the gods of the Egyptians any more.  They have seen how God has destroyed all evidence of these mythical, pagan gods being real, and that the God of the Israelites is the ONLY God that truly has power over the earth.  

God proved this evidence with the plagues.  

God proved this evidence with the parting of the sea.  

God proved this evidence with the water from the rock.  

God proved this evidence with the Manna from Heaven.  

God proved this with the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire that they followed through the dessert.  

There is NO EXCUSE for the worship of other Gods.  

Just because we do not have a statue of Baal in our home does not mean that we are free of idols in our lives!

Have you ever taken a close examination of your own daily life to see if there is any evidence of pagan worship?   You might be very surprised at the way the world rubs off on you before you even notice what is happening.  Here are a few questions to study and consider:

Even your thinking process can be full of idols.  Are you taking every thought captive in order to obey the Word of God and His way of life?  

What is your "self-talk" like?  Does it match God's word?  If not; you are telling yourself lies and setting up false idols inside your head.

Is your mind free of the world's systems and human ideas and imaginations that do not match the ways of God?

Are you controlled by the media, your neighbor's ways, the public school system's ways, your parent's ideas, your friend's suggestions and actions?  

Do you find yourself living in doubt and denial of the power of God over your life?

Is your pride more important to you than the ways of a loving God?

Put out an all points bulliten for the idols in your life; even those that only lurk in your thoughts!  Identify them and take them captive.  

"High places" or places of pagan worship do not belong in the life of the Bride of Christ.  Get a perspective of God's places and live there.  

Is there somewhere that you are going that puts you in spiritual jeapordy?  

Is there something that you are doing that needs to come under control?  

If you have a shrine or an altar that does not belong to God, destroy it immediately and receive the freedom from the bondage of sin that will come to you from your loving Father.

   

In speaking to Moses on the mountain, God went on to explain this a little further.  Since HE was the ONLY God that truly exists; he explains: 

“YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FOR YOURSELVES AN IMAGE IN THE FORM OF ANYTHING IN HEAVEN ABOVE OR ON THE EARTH BENEATH, OR IN THE WATERS BELOW.  YOU SHALL NOT BOW DOWN TO THEM OR WORSHIP THEM; FOR I, THE LORD YOUR GOD, AM A JEALOUS GOD, PUNISHING THE CHILDREN FOR THE SIN OF THE PARENTS TO THE THIRD AND FOURTH GENERATION OF THOSE WHO HATE ME, BUT SHOWING LOVE TO A THOUSAND GENERATIONS OF THOSE WHO LOVE ME AND KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS.”

There seems to be serious consequences for those who break the first of these ten ways to have a good life.  God says He will punish the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Him; but God will show love to a thousand generations of those who love Him.

I think God used such stern words to help the people grasp the importance of the matter.  He is telling them things that will benefit them in their lives and God wants them to know how best to live a full and happy life.  If they do not listen to Him and heed God’s words; the laws that God set into motion as Creator of the Universe will take effect and work against them and their children and grandchildren.   God wishes for ALL generations to be taught His ways and for ALL generations to follow them.  This is much to the advantage of the people. 

Putting God first and above all other things has become a way of life that we relate to following the First Commandment of God.  

Surely, after living in misery for so long in a foreign land as slaves the people of Israel had seen what NOT putting God first was like.  Why would they ever want to go back to that way of life that they had miraculously escaped?  Why would they ever bow before a pagan god or make a pagan image to worship after seeing how powerless the pagan gods were before The One and Only True God?

This little talk with Moses on the top of the mountain is simply God’s way of helping them to ALWAYS remember. 

In Matthew 22:37 – 38 Jesus called this first commandment of God the “greatest” commandment.  We will hear God summing this up later to the people of Israel by stating:  “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all of your strength.”  (Deut. 6:5). 

Do you get the idea that God wants us to remember that He loves us and we are to love Him back?  It is all about love, God’s love for us and our love for God.  

Love is the spiritual intent of the law.  The time on Mount Siniai with God was considered to be the wedding between Israel and God.  

In order to take wedding vows; total love and devotion is required of both parties.  The people have already promised and sent Moses to tell God that they will do as He has said.  God is merely stating the conditions of the relationship and vowing to keep His part and expecting the same from the people that He is taking as a bride under the covenant of marriage; a covenant that should never be broken or annulled.   

The goal of the people from this point forward will be to seek God and His righteousness above all other things.  As a bride is true to only her husband, so should the people be true to only worshipping The One True God of Heaven and Earth.  There are to be no other lovers!  They should never bow before anyone or anything else in worship.  God is a jealous God!  Their focus is to be on God and God alone; never leaning toward their own understanding but trusting in His every word and listening and obeying His every command. 

The right response to God will carry reverence and deep respect for His almighty power and majesty.  It is a fear that comes from deep love, a type of fear that is respectful and in awe; not a fear that leaves one in panic or trembling.  It is a healthy fear; one that is in our best interest and one that keeps our lives in check and on the right path.  When we obey God and put Him first in our lives because of this healthy fear; we begin to grow more and more in love.  Sooner or later the love replaces the fear and peace and contentment come from the knowledge of knowing that God has our best interest in mind and is always looking out for us by showing us the best ways to live. 

It seems that God’s main objective in teaching us this is to keep sin far away from our lives.  Anytime that we put anything before God in our living; sin creeps in to destroy us and rob us of our joy.  

False religion and false gods are a sin.  

Self worship is a sin.  

God must always have first place in our hearts for us to be truly happy.  We need to continually be seeking to see things from God’s perspective.  Our own view of the world can get skewed and twisted if we aren’t very careful to be putting God first. 

This commandment to love God above all else was the wedding vow of Isreal, and thus the wedding vow of God’s people forever.  It should never be considered a burden but always be considered a delight.  When you truly love God with all of your heart and put Him first in your life you receive a gift of tremendous joy in your heart. 

The love of God has rescued us from a heavy bondage.   Whether it is from the bondage of physical slavery like these Israelites experienced or the bondage of sin; the results are the same.  God’s love has saved us and we are to respond by loving Him and serving Him forever.  

Knowing and following The One True God sets us free from bondage and gives us an abundant life. 

The first commandment is God’s wedding vow to us.  

It is a heavenly gift that is priceless beyond compare.  

Let us love God and always honor this first best way to live!

COME AS A CHILD LESSON 139 GETTING PREPARED TO MEET GOD

GETTING PREPARED TO MEET GOD

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

God said to Moses; “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.  Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow.  Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day because on that day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.  Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it.  Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death.  They are to be stoned or shot with arrows.  Not a hand is to be laid on them.  No person or animal shall be permitted to live.  Only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.”

That last part sounds really serious!  In those days no man went near God unless they were summoned.  They took great precautions not to be unholy in the presence of God when they did. They were not living in the period of grace that Jesus has provided for us today.  There were only certain times when God made coming into His presence possible.  This time is signified by the long blast of a ram’s horn. 

This passage reminds me of how you can’t have the seasons of God out of order.  They follow a pattern.  You must be prepared in the way you approach God for each season, even in a time of grace and mercy, there are certain things to remember.  You must recognize and keep God’s appointed times. 

The long blast of the ram’s horn is more symbolic of the fall holy days instead of the day of Pentecost in which the people were living in our story.  God must have been proclaiming that all they did in this present season (Pentecost), was to be done in order that they might be ready when the ram’s horn sounded later (Rosh Hashanah/Feast of Trumpets.)  The Feast of Pentecost always comes before The Feast of Trumpets. One day we will all hear that long blast of the shofar (the ram’s horn) and we will be summoned to approach the throne of God.  In that Great Last Day; will you be ready?

When I think of the first part of God’s summons delivered to Moses for the people, I am reminded of the words of an old, old hymn, called "Nothing But the Blood of Jesus."  

God tells Moses that the people should wash their clothes and be ready on the third day.  I remember the words of the old hymn being: “What can wash away my sins?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus!”  It was a time of washing; of coming clean.

This time of the people preparing to approach God at the foot of the holy mountain is symbolic of a time that Jesus would come (in the third day of humanity) and cover the people in His blood, washing away their sins and making them acceptable in the eyes of God.  That way; when the ram’s horn blows on the Great Last Day, all who were once unholy sinners will be welcomed to approach because they will be covered with the blood of Jesus.  This will heal their sins and make them clean.  God has provided for His people in every way.

So Moses goes to the people and tells them to wash their clothes and to prepare to meet God on the third day.  They are to remain holy during this time (as holy as humans untouched by God can become) and they were to be paying attention.  Moses instructed them to abstain from sexual relations during this time. 

The people did as Moses instructed.  They cleaned themselves up and put their minds on God.  They waited and anticipated what was to come.  On the third day there was thunder and lightning and a thick cloud came and covered the mountain.  Then suddenly out of nowhere came a very loud trumpet blast!  The whole camp trembled!  Can you imagine how they were feeling?  They knew they were about to face God!  We all will know this feeling soon. 

Moses very carefully lead the people out of the camp to meet God at the foot of the mountain.  They saw Mount Sinai covered in smoke and they knew God had descended in fire on the mountain.  Smoke billowed up from the mountain like the smoke from a furnace and the whole mountain shook!  All this time the sound of the ram’s horn was growing louder and louder; then Moses spoke and God answered him!

The LORD spoke from the top of the mountain and He called Moses to come up.  So Moses went up to the top of the mountain and this is what God said to him:  “ Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the LORD and many of them perish.  Even the priest who approach the LORD must consecrate themselves, or the LORD will break out against them. “

And Moses answered God saying; “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai because you yourself warned us to put limits around the Mountain and set it apart as holy.”

 And God told Moses to go down and bring Aaron up with him, but the people and the priest should not force their way through to come up to the LORD  or he would break out against them.

So Moses went back down, told this to the people and took Aaron back up with him. 

At last God was ready to speak to the people and they were all listening.  With Moses and Aaron standing closer to God as witnesses; God uttered the words that have been carried down to the people of God throughout history. 

Next week we will hear what God had to say.  It is much too important to squeeze into the end of this lesson! 

As I mentioned before; keeping track of times and days begins to reveal things that often seem to be hiding in the scriptures.  The Word does not come out openly and bluntly admit that the law was given by God to the People of Israel on The Day of Pentecost; but a close count of the days mentioned in the passage we are studying in Exodus 19 gives us all the needed information to figure this out!  

God first spoke to the people that He loved to begin to teach them exactly how He wanted them to live on The Day of Pentecost.  It was an already established agricultural holiday with the people.  It was already a time to be bringing their first fruits of the wheat harvest before God; but now God was going to broaden their view of what this day was all about.  He was going to explain to them how to live holy before Him as they offered up their offerings of Thanksgiving.  Life wasn’t just about making holy offerings and sacrifices; it was also about living holy every day. After 400 years of slavery and bondage, the people needed a refresher course and they were about to be taught this course directly from God.  

A holy pattern of observance had been set with the forty five days after leaving Egypt, with one day spent on the mountain listening to God, one day returning the people’s answer to God, and three days of preparation, making the whole time fifty days from the first Passover (the time they left Egypt) to the giving of the law on the Feast of Pentecost.  

Even today we know that Pentecost always occurs on the fiftieth day after Passover.  The people of God left Egypt on Passover and arrived at Sinai on Pentecost.  During that fifty day period of time, God taught them many things in both of these places. 

God is still teaching us!  We simply need to take the time, follow the instructions and patterns that He has so carefully laid out and presented over and over in the scriptures; in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.  What happened to the People of Israel was a pattern to teach us the way to live before God.  Soon we will hear the rest of the laws that God gave us in order to show us the best ways to live before Him. 

We are just like those Israelites.  We, even now, are being prepared to meet God.  We are to be washing our garments and getting ready.  Jesus is returning for His Bride and to set up The Kingdom of God for eternity. 

Are you ready? 

Are you washing your garments in the blood of the Lamb? 

Are you clean and ready to meet God?

Will you be allowed to go up to the Holy Mountain of God? 

Now is the time to get prepared.