Exodus Chapter 20 Part 2

Shalom and welcome to via after Israel a Hebrew phrase which means you shall love Israel we hope you'll stay with us for the next 30 minutes as our teacher dr. Baruch shares his expose Ettore teaching from the Bible dr. Baruch is the senior lecturer at the Sarah Avraham Institute based in Israel although all courses are taught in Hebrew at the Institute dr. Baruch is pleased to share this weekly address in English to find out more about our work in Israel please visit us on the web at love Israel you are G that's one word love Israel o RG now here's Baruch with today's lesson one of the most important places history his Mount Sinai for their God not only gave to the people his Commandments that is his instructions for righteous behavior his expectations how one walks with God in a covenant relationship but there God offered to the children of Israel an outstanding opportunity and opportunity to be changed and transformed by his presence now we need to talk a few minutes before looking to the Word of God about the proper way of understanding Scripture we do not reach theological conclusions on what could have been what we're talking about and by the way when we look at Exodus 20 it is a most unique chapter because there we have a picture of Israel hearing the Ten Commandments not all the Torah but the Ten Commandments and we're going to see tonight when we look at this very unique passage how Israel rejected God now let me tell you what one who does not understand the laws of biblical interpretation does well ask the question well what if Israel would have been faithful what if they would have responded in obedience we ought not do that why that did not happen a fundamental rule if you go to a good Bible College or seminary and you learn some of the basic principles of hermeneutics you never base one's theological perspectives on what could have been meaning if this didn't happen then this would have been the outcome and then go with that new perceived outcome as a basis for forming your beliefs your thoughts your theological views you do not do that you can only look at what was done not what should have been done and what could have been done none of those things are irrelevant now now that Sinai was an important place because there God wanted to do something he wanted to give the children of Israel who had been redeemed by the blood the blood of the Lamb a unique worship experience and let me share with you that that this second half of of Exodus 20 is all about worship and that should interest you greatly because that's what we should be about if you ask me what is it that I want to do better than anything else it's to worship God and God here through these scriptures that we're gonna look at tonight gives us great indication about godly worship what is pleasing what is proper in his sight so with that said take out your Bible and look with me to Exodus chapter 20 and we're gonna begin in verse 18 now some Bibles will have the numbering of their verses somewhat different but that's okay just go to the place immediately after that last commandment of of do not covet the next verse is the one that we're going to be looking at so Exodus chapter 20 and verse 18 remember the children of Israel are at Mount Sinai they're standing at the base of the mountain they have seen Moses go up they have seen Moses warn the people and they have seen the various things that have happened on that mountain when God came and spoke they heard the asserted he broke the Ten Commandments and now notice what the Word of God reveals verse 18 and all the people notice that it doesn't say just simply the children of Israel or those who came out of Egypt but all the people the people make is specific and what is it a reference to what is being specified here the answer is those who had been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb those who had came out of bondage with a call a call to meet the Lord in that wilderness in that desert in order that they might worship Him this is all about worship so we read and all the people they were seen now here again there are arguments about the Hebrew verbal tense many if you go to a Christian institution they will talk about the perfect and the imperfect now the problem with that is this if you you associate that with for example if you have studied Greek there is absolutely no relationship between the terms in Greek for the perfect and the imperfect and what is implied in Hebrew concerning the perfect and the imperfect what I wanted to share with you is that there are some unique grammatical constructions now usually the perfect is understood as the past and the imperfect is the future and what I want to share with you some call a participle some call the present and if you take our course on Biblical Hebrew an introduction or applied Hebrew at Kingdom Hope Community you will understand more of what I'm speaking about but when we look here we see all the people Rho M now Rho M mean that people see it's in the present the participle is to emphasize to show a description of the people they were the ones who were seen that saw these things but it's in the present and the present usually marks a passage with significance because it tends to be rare so all the people saw the sounds and the Lapine the torches and the sound of the shofar that can be the voice the voice or the sound of the shofar and the mountain the mountain was was smoking and the people saw and those are what it does it says here they many Bibles will say tremble they were moving but the implication here is they were moving back and forth and the the thought here is one of confusion they they did not know how to respond to this experience what they were beholding and notice what it says and I would circle this phrase because it's going to be repeated and whenever things are repeated in the text it's for emphasis it says here if I do may revoke which means the people they stood at a distance now what's interesting is that people is a singular construction hi the people we could say hi I mean the people's and make it plural but the verb here is in the plural and what this shows when you have a singular subject but a plural verb that modifies it that goes with that singular subject what it shows is division and it's all to show that the people were you not united they're not United with response not united with understanding they were fractured in every sense of that word so that people stood at a distance look at verse 19 and they said to Moses you speak with us and we will listen but but do not let the Lord or literally hear God do not have God speak with us why pen the mood less we died now they have a fear they they saw these things and these things spoke about God's presence is see he and we'll see this in a moment he was coming towards the people in other words what they had seen on this mountain the the torches the sound of the shofar the smoke and the light all of these things all of these things represented the presence of God and now we'll see this in a moment God was moving towards the people and as he approached them what did they do they stood at a distance remember that it is highly significant and rightly understanding this passage so they were fearful of death about why were they feel throw fearful of death well very simply they were an unholy people and a holy God a perfect God was coming towards them so you have that which is holy coming towards that which is holy meeting him and they were fearful that the holiness of God in their impure state it would bring about their death now that might be the right assumptions and why were they fearful because they just heard the 10 commandments how should we understand that as God's expectations what he expected them to do and they knew that they were far removed from the will of God and when you're far removed or even mildly removed from the will of God the outcome is death it's only in a covenant or relationship with God that one can experience life and be recipients of the promises of God so they were fearful and they did not want an interaction with God they said you speak with us Moses and and we will listen we'll obey but do not let God speak with us unless we die verse 20 and Moses he clarified something see he knew the intent of God and that's one of the indicators of the fact that he was a prophet he knew what God was up to how God revealed it to him everything that Moses understood was by revelation and everything that we can understand is made by revelation verse 20 and Moses spoke to the people what do you say first thing do not fear and there's reason why not he says for and then this next word lay vow of war now this phrase shows purpose but it's also shows a a change and what God was going to bring about or pass upon the people now the word love or it's a trance with a purpose it's a transfer for a purpose of transformation notice what he says that he's going to do here now in the same way that this phrase that the people stood at a distance is important so - in this passage and in this specific verse we're dealing with is this phrase important La Valle or it's going to be repeated twice and it's good to unite what we're studying with now and what we're going to be studying with in a few minutes once more and Moses said to the people do not fear for to pass and then the next word is nestled the suit has to do not with a testing almost every English translation says that God is bringing a test on the people this is a wrong understanding of the word the suit now so frequently when I interact sometimes and in opportunities that I have to teach leaders congregational leaders pastors and such they they struggle with this because they say every translation and not just in English but many other languages they all have testing so why believe me well because when you look at the context it bears this out now the word is in the suit it comes from two roots one is word to give an experience witness I own his experience now it's a testing but sometimes a test is an experiment and sometimes when we test it's for an outcome it's to reveal something now the word this suit can come from an experience but it's also the word for it nests something miraculous something supernatural and this is what we should see and I guarantee you this is going to be borne out in the second part of this verse what it literally says is Moses kills the people do not fear because God is brain he's causing to pass upon you a supernatural a miraculous experience and we're told exactly what that experience is we read on the second half of verse 20 it says for to pass and the implication is on you this experience and it says the God is coming bahah hello--hi it's not hard to understand this ba is comes and pilo hemas God God is coming to you and then we had this phrase this is the same word without the lammott without the two part of it because it tells us before it is to pass it's the same word that unites what we learned before to pass upon them a miraculous experience now he uses that same word in order to say what this miraculous experience is good to be TVA here at OU that the fear his fear so it's the fear of the Lord what is that the beginning of wisdom so that to pass upon them in this miraculous experience is his fear shall be wear upon your face now face can be blessing God's blessing them here with this opportunity and that's why I say this is an opportunity it's an opportunity for the people to experience something that God's fear would be with them fear is synonymous with wisdom that they would have understanding concerning what well the answer is that they would have understanding of the will of God when you know the fear the Lord you have wisdom that that leads you to execute the purposes of God so we read that his fear shall be upon your face and knows the outcome it says lay wilty o that that you will be unable it's a word of impossibility that you will be unable to do what sin so God is saying here that he's gonna do something give them a supernatural experience that they'll know his will but this is what I frequently tell people many times I know God's will for a a given situation in my life I know what I should do I know what I ought not to do but here's the problem just knowing what is right and what is wrong doesn't always solve the problem sometimes I know do this don't do that and what happens I rebelled I do what I ought not to do and what I should do I leave undone rebellious so knowing the truth doesn't solve the problem it's a great first step but here God wanted to solve the problem he wanted to give the people a supernatural experience he wanted to bring to them a transformation and what was that they would know God's will and they could not send what does that mean they could only obey Him that's what he wanted to bring about in order that they might be this people that perfectly demonstrated God's presence his purpose as a testimony to the nation's but what does the scripture say look at verse 21 in my opinion verse 21 is one of the most most sad verses in the Bible because instead of saying yes to God we want that experience what did they do notice how verse 21 begins verse 21 begins exactly as verse 18 ends now whether that's true in your Bible sometimes they change around the word order but I assure you in the biblical text it's that way verse 8 18 ends with how verse 21 begins in what is that via mode ha but there's a difference via mode ha mara hook in the end of verse 18 the verb vayam do what is that they stood at a distance they were what they were confused there was no unity but when we look at the beginning of verse 21 that verb they are mode or excuse me vayam do it changes to via mode it changes from the the the plural to the singular which means that they were unified in this disobedience they were at oneness with rejecting God at Mount Sinai now what we see here is that the place where they were called to worship God and through this proper worship they were going to be transformed but instead of that they rebelled they stood it says and the people stood at a distance and because they did not want to approach God now it says and Moses he went forward he approached the fog which was there and it says which was there the God what it meant was that God was there in the fog he was coming that people stood at distance and only Moses went forward to meet God so here we have a great failure an opportunity loss great sadness because they did not want the transformation why well if we go back earlier into chapter 19 remember what God told Moses he says prepare the people but the people didn't prepare themselves they didn't listen to God they did not want the experience the worship experience the God wanted them to have and why am i speaking about worship over and over and over well move on to our next verse the second and last section of this twenty twentieth chapter because it's all about worship at this time look at verse 22 and the Lord said to Moses thus you shall say to the children of Israel you have seen that from the heavens I have spoken with you now this tells us something it tells us that God wanted the people to have the same experience as Moses to be transformed by the presence of God to be recipients of God's unique personal revelation to them when we look at verse verse 22 notice what it says for you and the use in the plural meaning you all have seen that from Heaven's I have spoken with you now one individual we were speaking about about this passage and he says no he's speaking about only talking to Moses not the children of Israel collectively but see in his Bible he could come to that conclusion because you in English can be you or you all but we right just you but see in Hebrew it's not this way in Hebrew we had the phrase debarked II MFM I have spoken with you all it's in the plural so God had given a experience revelation to the people but it was in the form of an invitation an invitation to be trans form in order to be in this situation where they would know God's will and would be forced to carry it out that's what I want that's the transformation now here's something important because when the Blessed hope happens that is the rapture we're gonna have a similar experience what with what God was promising at that time because when we are in this new body see we are born again the moment that a person believes because the Holy Spirit comes within that person and that changes them it gives them a potential but that full outcome of this transformation will not be known until we enter into a new condition that new kingdom body and what we see here and this is important what we see here is a typology what we see here is a revelation concerning what will be the full experience that full expression of what's being taught here see do not make the mistake saying oh if the children of people would have if the children visual would have submitted they would have had that experience they didn't they were offered it but they refuse do not say what didn't happen don't make theological conclusions based upon what was offered but rather only what was actually an outcome so when we look here God is speaking and he says you have all seen that from the heaven I have spoken with you first 23 now verse 23 tells us something God is going to begin to lay out for the people a different type of worship experience why because they rejected him and what is this this is going to be a worship experience based upon an altar worship a place of worship and sacrifices and gifts and such this is a lower and this is in my opinion this is what the rabbi's teach that Israel suffered a loss that day because they could have had a greater worship experience than what we see later on when I say later on the foundation is set here beginning in verse 23 look at verse 23 and you shall not excuse me and you shall not make with me gods of silver gods of gold you shall not do for yourselves or make for yourselves so the first thing God is saying here is there can be no idolatry with me with me means that all other forms of worship all other things that are revered or honored or worship must be set aside and ultimately destroyed so God is speaking here about his uniqueness the worship that he's calling the people to now is different than all the other types of worship that the nations that the that the peoples were doing and they should tell us something see in my opinion this scripture that we're gonna be dealing with in the next few verses it gives us very important principles of rightly worshiping done and the first thing that we see is idolatry is forbidden and when we look at how the world worships what they do religiously it is idolatrous we ought not mimic the way of the world the people of the world the nations in how they worship but my my concern is this that if I look at worship today when I look at the so-called concert the the Christian concerts that I see on on Christian television networks and I see how the people are behaving how they're dressing what they're mimicking it's certainly reminisce reminiscent of the world and this is what God is warning that people gets here your worship is not a worship that the world embraces verse 24 the next thing he says is look at verse 24 the first word is Misbah Adama now this is an altar and the word Adama is ground but in this sense it's probably dirt now this again was not how the nation's worship they had a very very different type of altar but God is saying here look at verse 20 for an altar of the ground you shall make for me and you shall sacrifice upon it your burnt offerings your peace offerings your flocks and your cattle in every place where I make mention or I remind my name and I will come to you and I will bless you now what it's saying here is this the altar that he required was not one that was reminiscent or similar or was of the same style or built of how the nation's built and made their altar no other people had an altar of dirt but God called at this time for such an altar and notice that he talks about burnt offerings and peace offerings and he says as you make these different offerings notice what he says of your your sheep and of your cattle he says in every place where I shall make mention cause to be remembered my name and notice what he says in the context of worship what does God want to do he wants to come he says Ave Oh Alicia I will come unto you for what purpose and I will bless you so we see something when worship is not of the form or the character or resembles that of the world but based upon and notice what he says here I will make mention of my name I hope you know by now name it's not with character so the worship of what God and what's emphasized is his character how he is and what do we learn God wants to bless he says when you worship me properly not as a world worships but basis upon my instruction he says I will come unto you and I will bless you that's what God wanted to do at Mount Sinai but the people rejected it so now he's going to take them on a journey he's going to cause his name to dwell in many different places until as we know he gets to Jerusalem where will be the final place that he causes his name to be made mention up but notice again the purpose is to bless the people worship leads to blessing when I worship God according to his admonitions his instructions in the end I will be blessed verse 25 and if and this word and can also be understood in our language as but but if an altar of stones you shall make to me you shall not build it with how with huge stones meaning how the nations would would be to hew to cut these stones he gives very clear instructions if you make it out of stone you shall not make it with huge stones because he says here your sword if you wave it onto it meaning if you use a sword that's the word but it's a a cutting instrument if you cut and raise upon a stone this cutting instrument he says what would you do he says and you will profane it so if stones are used they have to be uncut they have to be formed and made through a different means so he says here improper worship brings what well this next word the last verb the last word in verse 25 there's a word for that which is profane and this word profane basically hinders the blessing of God when something is profane when you profane the name of God when you profane Shabbat those are the two things primarily that this word is useful now this same word is used for today modern Hebrew outerspace what's in outer space it's a empty place it's the void it's hollow and the word here for profane means hollow empty and what God is saying is this when you worship as the world worships when you bring into the worship of the God of Israel principles and standards and methods and and performance as the world performs acts behaves it empties it makes void it profanes the worship and what does that do it hinders it stops the blessing and that's what's happening today and I'm convinced of this I say this with all assured so much of what's going on and being being presented as worship is that which is profane to God and what God wants to do in blessing the people and giving us this great experience and bring transformation upon us and giving us the opportunity to walk in obedience all of these things are being hindered Quelch stop because of our profane worship I am very confident that much of what's being done in the so-called house of God is that which is profaning of him and he is not pleased by it and the blessings are stopped look now to our last verse verse 26 we read here and do not go up and the word here is they looked vain I looked on a incline so do not go up an incline and many many associate they associate this word with with steps the normal Hebrew word for steps are ma Dragoon but this is a word my alert my elopement to go up and it says here do not go up he says in a way unto my altar altar is a place of sacrifice it's a place of worship sacrifice and worship go hand in hand so he's warning us about here's the key a lot of people won't agree with this but it's factual he is warning the people about their appearance before him did you hear that he says when you go up to my altar when you go up to worship me is the implication in order to make an offering that's what worship is a sacrifice a giving making a a gift unto the Lord he says when you go up to my altar notice what he says do not go up in a way that what look at the end lota Calais air Fatah I love do not reveal do not reveal your nakedness unto it so what he's saying here is this when you go in order to worship God do not expose yourself and that which God sees as inappropriate now this is important because of this it doesn't matter what you think realize this this is a foundational principle when it comes to worship it does not matter what you think worship is not based upon the imaginations of our own thoughts our own our own confessions of what we believe makes good and a right worship what we think is pleasing to God that is how a foolish person speaks no worship is the outcome of listening hearing God's revelation his instructions and gods very serious here I would submit to you that what we're learning in verses 22 through verse 26 is instructions that are foundational for right worship worship that leads to God's presence the worship that leads to his blessing his performing a blessing upon his people but if they're not followed what is gonna happen that which is profaned unto Him we don't profane God but we do that which is profane that which God rejects that which hinders God's blessings from coming upon a person so it says look at verse 26 you shall not go up on an incline unto my altar and the key here in a way which that you shall reveal your nakedness unto and nakedness is that which God sees as that which should not be revealed or expose and this lays that foundational principle for modesty modesty especially especially in worship that we do not want to come in a way that that demonstrates the conduct of the world no we want to come in a way that demonstrates respect a way that honors God a way that shows that he is of value to us and what I see so frequently today is a lessening of that standard that God has has shown we become casual we don't give any thought any concern to what would be pleasing to God in our attire certainly here and the word here that God uses is do not expose your nakedness and by the way later on in the Torah it's going to to be used in regard to a man walking and in a way that shows the the gap between the end of a sandal at the top of the sandal and his his ending of his his rope his garment that when he walks up an incline that may expose some of his ankle and to that God says is inappropriate now that just gives us an indication of how we should think pray seek guidance and how we go before God in a spirit of worship now I share with you that we are way too casual when it comes to worship way too casual when we come to study this book all too often people just think to themselves well what does this mean to me you should never ask that question you should ask a question what is God conveying to the original audience and discover that and then when you have have understood that applied to your life in a way to implement it in a way that God originally intended no we are too casual too carefree about the Word of God about the worship of God and because of that we are hindering the major things that God want to do now when we look here and see his standards and and apply those standards to how people are worshipping today you know what I can say I think God is very displeased and when we look at the world today and the chaos I mean I was talking to to some friends this week and if you would have said to me what is going on right now with flights being canceled with events being being stopped cancelled even in Israel they're saying don't go to the synagogue to pray stay at home the the policy of the government is that there should be no meetings of more than ten people two days ago was a hundred a few days before that it was a thousand things are changing rapidly and it's just to show us when God is not pleased he can bring about great consequences of his displeasure on the world like that let's get serious about God let's show God the respect that he deserves and that he demands well I'll close with that until next week may God richly bless you well we hope you will benefit from today's message and share it with others please plan to join us each week at this time and on this channel for our broadcast of love Israel org again to find out more about us please visit our website love Israel dot o-r-g there you will find articles in numerous other lectures by Baruch these teachings are in video form may download them or watch them in streaming video until next week may the Lord bless you in our Messiah Yeshua that is Jesus as you walk with Him Shalom from Israel [Music]

Channel: LoveIsrael.org

Views: 2,171

Rating: 4.8947368 out of 5

Keywords: Book of Exodus

Id: s0Fp-BKgY8M

Length: 45min 5sec (2705 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 15 2020