9-17-15. Exodus 20:1-11. Enter Into The Right Relationship With God-my devotional

Exodus 20:1-11                                                                                             Kevin E. Jesmer

Key Verse: 20:2-3                                                                                           9-17-15

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me.”

Three months had passed since Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. Here, we find them encamped in the wilderness of Sinai, before the mountain of the Lord. This location was very meaningful for it was the place where Moses had first heard God’s call. (Exodus 3:1)When God sent Moses to deliver his people from bondage in Egypt, he told him to bring them here, to this place, to worship him. Look at Exodus 3:12, “And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

When the people left Egypt, their minds and hearts were filled with visions of the good land, the land flowing with milk and honey, the land which God had promised to give them. But this vision seemed very far from being fulfilled. The people had been traveling in the opposite direction from Canaan, and now they had set up camp in the wilderness of Sinai. They were to stay there for nearly a year. Though it may have seemed that the promises of God would not be fulfilled, the same God who had brought them out of Egypt and passed them through the Red Sea, this same God had not forgotten them. God had every intention to bring them into the Promised Land. But before they could conquer Canaan, they had some problems to solve as a nation. They needed to be trained by God until they could stand as God’s holy nation.

One might think that what the people really needed were the latest military weapons, military advisors, portable schools and hospitals, an army of trained counselors and of course, lots and lots of money. But God knew exactly what these former slaves needed. God wanted to bless Israel and he wanted to make her a blessing to the world. So he brought her to himself at Sinai to give her the Ten Commandments and various laws that would mold the character and the psyche of the nation. He gave them godly laws and principles that would help guide them, and even the whole world, throughout the Millennia. These laws and principles would point them to the Messiah. Indeed the whole world would be totally blessed because of what God was about to give to his people. God cares. He wants to show us the way. He gives gifts that last and keep on giving.

The Ten Commandments can be divided into 2 parts: The first part, verses 3-11, contain the first four commandments. These commandments concern our relationship with God. Jesus summed up these teachings in Matthew 22:37) “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” The second part, verses 12-17, contain the last six commandments. These concern our relationships with people. (Mt 22:39) And so let’s learn about the first four commandments in this passage.

Part 1: It All Begins With God…The Deliverer (1-2)

God reminded the people of his grace. Look at verses 1-2, ““And God spoke all these words: 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “  It all begins with grace. These people had been enslaved 400 years. Their agonies of life were unthinkable as they toiled on and on, every day with no hope insight. Can you imagine being a parent whose only hope for their children and grandchildren was for them to be slaves, and exploited and then die young after living a very hard life? They had no leader and no way to leave their decrepit state of affairs. Even if they knew they could go to Canaan, they wouldn’t know the first thing to do.

But God knew how to help them. He raised up Moses and Aaron. He delivered the nation from the cruelty of Egypt by the ten plagues. He led his people through the Red Sea. He provide for their needs. He gave them a vision to become a priestly nation. And now he was going to richly bless them by bestowing on them the Ten Commandments. This is the grace of God.

People are turned off when they think about having to obey the commands of God. But the commands of God become very sweet to the soul, when they are accepted in light of God’s grace. I believe that is why God opens up this chapter in Israel’s history with a reminder of God’s deliverance. Even today, it is easy to obey God when we know his love and the grace of his deliverance. It is not just obedience any more, but rather a relationship.

Part 2: The Call To Exclusive Worship (3)

God wanted his people to worship him exclusively. Look at verse 3, “You shall have no other gods before me.”  God demanded first place in his peoples’ hearts, first place in their affections and in their lives. The exclusiveness of God of the Bible is shown here. Why is he so exclusive?

First, it is because Jehovah, the God of the Bible, is all sufficient. His salvation is completely affective. Why would a loving God point us to a unsure thing? Why would he present a myriad of choices that are contradictory, confusing to the people whom he loves and seeks to bless? That is not in keeping with his character. He shines his light and points the way, showing the sure way to himself and telling his children to come to him along a clear path.

Second, they needed to rid themselves of polytheism. The Israelites had just come from Egypt, the land of many idols and many gods. Each god represented a different part of life. People worshipped many gods to get maximum benefit from these gods. At first, when the God of the Bible told the people to worship him, it was not hard for them to do this for they were used to adding one god after another onto their pantheon of gods to worship and glean benefits from. One popular religion today does this. But when God wanted the Israelites to worship him exclusively then a problem arose. The people could not do this easily. But God would be patient and would help them.

Third, they needed to devote themselves to the one true God before they could understand and accept all of the good things God had in store for them. A person needs to accept that God is the Creator before they could understand Genesis. A person needs to know that Jesus is God before they could understand the book of John. The people didn’t know that the God who led them out of Egypt was the only true God. They needed to accept this or they could not be his people. They needed to worship God exclusively. A dedication of their hearts to the one true God is the first step in understanding all of what God had in store for them.

False religion, with its false objects of worship, is a very serous matter to God. People suffer when they fail to worship God. Think about how women and children suffer in other religions. 25% of this world is in rubble and flames because of false religion. We allow many things to come between us and the worship of the one true God. Money, fame, work, pleasure all can become gods to us when we depend on them too much for identity, meaning and security. In and of themselves, these things are not bad. They become bad and even destructive when they become objects of worship to us.

God wants to make sure that we are all directed towards the only sure and safe path, that is, into a deep personal relationship with him. Letting God into the central place in our hearts keeps these things from turning into gods in our lives. They keep on the path to peace, the path to God himself.

Part 3: Toss Aside The Idols And Be Blessed For Generations (4-6)

God wants to save us from destructive idol worship. Look at verses 4-6, “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 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, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” 

God knows our tendencies. We really try hard to make idols out of things. Hindus worship millions of idols. Why do humans do this? I believe it is linked to our innate desire to worship God. Though it may be our innate tendency, we learn here, that we must keep ourselves from idols. Idols are something that we turn to receive some benefit, be it financial, comfort, peace etc. Even an image, that seems to be in line with the God of the Bible, can cause people to be led astray. They lead us to places other than a life-giving relationship with God. They lead us along the path of destruction and condemnation. They are dangerous to our souls. Cultures that worship idols will be cursed because of their choices (Not because of God…but because of their choices) for generations. But those culture who abandons idol worship and embrace Christ, will be blessed for generations. A brief examination of history will show that this is so.

God is very serious about bowing down to idols. I appreciate going into old churches and seeing the ornate statues and architecture. It is so beautiful. It does make me think about the awesomeness and grandeur of God. But I do not bow down to them. It helps me in my reflections about God. But I have the benefit of lots of Bible study. I know my Lord and Savior Jesus. I am not entrapped by all the statues and worship them. It is because I am filling in the gaps, when I enter these cathedrals. I understand how I need to align my heart. I get this from Bible study. People, without the benefit of lots of Bible study are not filling in the gaps. They may actually be praying to the statue, not thinking it is simply an aid to think about God, whom we are to be praying directly to. Such people need to study the word of God in the Bible, to align their hearts aright. God will be their light and guide them.

Part 4: Respect God’s Holy Name (7)

God wants us to honor his holy name. Look at verse 7, “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

We must not use God’s holy name in a disrespectful way. The fact is…don’t “dis” God. Don’t take his name lightly. God’s name is powerful. At the end of the age, at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. (Rom 14:11)

Think about it this way. The way that we use God’s name, shows how we feel about him. What if there was a family where the kids were cursing their parents? What if they were mocking the parents and using their names in very disrespectful ways? What kind of house would that be? What kind of future can that family have with so much disrespect being thrown around? Respect begins and grows by the very words we speak. Our respect for God begins by respecting his holy name and not taking his name in vain. Jesus’ name is powerful. I even had some respect for the name of Jesus and his body, the church, even before I became a Christian. People have escaped violent crime, perilous situations and moments of deep distress by invoking the name of Jesus.

We must respect his name and use it properly. God wants us to speak his name in praise and in worship and not just as a curse word.

Part 5: The Blessing Of The Sabbath Rest (8-11)

The Command to observe the Sabbath has blessed the whole world over and over again. Look at verses 8-11, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”   We must worship and serve God one day in seven; this is real rest. Furthermore, we must work hard for six days.

Since the inception of the early church, Christians have made Sunday, the first day of the week the day of the resurrection, their day of worship. The Jews worshipped on Saturday. Saturday or Sunday, Christian or Jew, observing the Sabbath is another way to seeking a personal relation with God. If we take the time to seek God and rest in him, each week, then we are demonstrating how important God is to us.

Observing the Sabbath is good for us. The Sabbath day is set aside for rest or worship. Even the farm animals were to rest.  God knows us. He knows that people need to take some time out to spend regular, weekly, time in unhurried worship and rest. The added benefit is that our spirits are rejuvenated. It is never good to neglect this command. It is like shooting ourselves in the foot.

The Sabbath was meant to portray the fact that there is rest in Christ. Matthew 11:28-30 reads, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Entering into Christ’s rest is entering into the Sabbath of God. And so, when a person accepts Christ they are in effect keeping the Sabbath. Christ has fulfilled this Sabbath command entirely. But it is still good to go to church on Sunday and worship the Lord along with God’s people. Let us make every effort to enter into the rest that Jesus provides. (Heb 4:11)

Prayer: Lord, thank you for blessing the whole world with the Ten Commandments. You know exactly what we need.

One word: Have the right relationship with the God of the Bible.