Expressions of Grace in the Law
Exodus 20
Last week we said that grace is God giving us what we don’t deserve. I realize that it goes against everything we feel because most of us can’t imagine overlooking someone’s sin and giving them what they don’t deserve. But just because we operate that way doesn’t mean that God operates that way. It is true because of grace. God gives us what we don’t deserve.
And since we are talking about this, I have to ask another question. If God is going to give us what we don’t deserve then what was the point of giving us the law? Now I realize that there are some who believe the law was given to us in order for us to work our way into eternity. When you stop and think about it, most of the world’s religious systems have a type of works based theology.
But then on the other hand, you have other faiths that believe that salvation is not attained by works but rather it is by faith and grace alone. According to them the giving of the law had nothing to do with salvation.
Now I’m sure that most of us probably think to ourselves, “Is it really this complicated?” Well it doesn’t have to be. Now I know in real estate the three most important words are location, location, location. But in understanding the Bible the three most important words are context, context, context. Therefore, it just makes sense if you want to have a better understanding of law and grace that we have to go back and take a look at the Ten Commandments and understand the storyline behind them.
I love having a conversation with people about the Ten Commandments. There are a few things that jump out at me whenever I get to have these conversations. First, I don’t think I have ever run into someone who has never heard of them. Second, most people have a healthy respect for the Ten Commandments. What I mean is many people I have spoken with believe that if people would live by them society would be better off. And finally, I typically ask people if they can name all of the Ten Commandments and most seem to struggle.
So let me ask you this morning… why don’t you turn to the person next to you and name all the Ten Commandments. Okay… which ones did you get? I imagine most of you got thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not lie and maybe thou shalt not commit adultery. What is amazing is just how good we are at knowing the “thou shalt not’s!” And if we are not careful we will begin to see salvation through the lenses of the “thou shalt not’s,” and begin to think that the law is all about earning eternal life.
This morning let’s take a look at what God addressed in the law and see if we can’t get a better understanding of the law’s purpose.
GOD PROVIDED INSTRUCTION TO THEM
As we said last week, the Hebrews had been in bondage in Egypt for 400 years when God sent Moses to lead them out of bondage. But there was some information that they needed to have before they could move forward and get settled in their new home.
In Egypt they were exposed to the false gods of the Egyptians and the corrupt system of justice that solely depended upon Pharaoh’s mood swings. So with that kind of background it was pretty clear that they would need a refresher course about the God of their fathers. So first we see that they needed to get to know the God of their forefathers. But they also needed some rules to live by and for the record there were many more laws than just ten. They literally had hundreds of laws that dealt with anything from diet to sanitation, from marriage to property rights.
When you read through much of the Old Testament writings you will probably wonder what is up with all these rules? You and I have to remember who the Hebrews were prior to this point… they were a nation of slaves, who had never known what it was to be responsible for their own actions. These freed slaves had never had a national leader and they had never had any laws that would govern their conduct.
So God, in His wonderful grace, gave them some laws to live by that provided detailed instructions for how they should live and how they should treat one another. You see; that is what the Ten Commandments were all about. The commandments had nothing to do with eternity and everything to do with how to adapt to becoming the nation that God had promised Abraham his descendants would become.
So up until this point the only thing they knew about God was that He was powerful enough to free them from bondage and that He could do some pretty incredible miracles. But there was so much more to know about God!
GOD INTRODUCED HIMSELF TO HIS PEOPLE
Remember what we said, the Hebrew people had to get acquainted with the God of their fathers. So that leaves us asking the question; “What did God teach them about Himself?”
He is Personal and Relational. Notice what it says in Exodus 20:2 “I am the LORD your God.” (Exodus 20:2 ESV) It is really interesting the way it reads because you would think it could have just as easily said “I am the Lord, The God.” But the pronoun “your” changes everything because “your” certainly communicates that God considers this relationship to be very personal. But what is so interesting is that the phrase “your God” certainly teaches us that before the commandments were ever given, God already had a relationship with them. God clearly is telling them that they already belong to Him. So if that is the case then it is obvious that the law does not determine relationship.
He is Almighty. I love how God begins to reminds Moses that, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” (Exodus 20:2 ESV) Just think for just a moment all the memories those two phrases brought back to Moses’ recollection. Not only did God free them from the grip of Pharaoh but what about all the miracles that broke the will of Pharaoh? I can’t help but wonder if Moses didn’t chuckle a bit when remembered the frogs and locusts. It was clear that God had made a joke out of the Egyptian gods.
He is a trusted guide and provider. God gave them a pillar of cloud to follow by day and a pillar of fire to follow by night. (Exodus 13) Then in Exodus 15 & 16 God provided food and water for them while in the wilderness.
The point is clear to Moses and to the Hebrew people, that God has been their God since the time He made a covenant with Abraham 600 years earlier. God is telling them that He had a relationship with them long before he ever told them what the rules would be. God is amazingly good and gracious to them. Think about it… Relationship was the first priority and rules came later. Perhaps the reason God chose that order was because He knew that rules without having a relationship would not be a blessing to His people.
THE GUIDANCE OF THE LAW
If you remember, last week we focused on the last 6 laws that taught them how to live and relate to one another. This morning we are going to look at the first three laws and see how they teach us to relate to God.
First, they were to make God a priority. Notice in verse three, it says, “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3 ESV) God is reminding them that He is a jealous God and that He is to be their one and only God. Now this is a pretty important command… once again you have to remember that they just came out of Egypt where they were polytheistic. God made it clear that will not be tolerated.
But imagine how difficult of a law this must have been for them. Not only did they come out of 400 years of polytheism but God also tells them in the FOURTH COMMAND that they were not allowed to make any images or idols. Think about it… if you think downsizing to one god was tough for them; imagine having to swallow an invisible God. But this is what sets God apart and honestly any image they might come up with wouldn’t adequately represent Him. And besides that, God didn’t want His people to be enslaved to a man made idol, especially when their God was living and desired to have a personal relationship with them.
Third, they were to show respect to God. Notice verse 7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.”
(Exodus 20:7 ESV) I can remember one time having my mouth washed out because I misused God’s name. My mother would not tolerate that at all. But really this command has far more significance that simply saying God’s name. It is more about not ascribing God’s name to anything that He would not endorse Himself.
For example, Jewish tradition would allow you to make a commitment to God that when you die all your possessions will belong to Him, but if He wants to use them before you die, to let you know.” They did this in order to avoid providing assistance to aging parents. They would just tell their family, “I’m sorry, I can’t help because all of my stuff belongs to God.” That is taking God’s name in vain.
Fourth, they were to remember the Sabbath and Keep it Holy (8-10). The purpose of the Sabbath is two-fold. First, to rest in His provisions and second, it was to celebrate our relationship with God.
You know, in these times when work-aholism is valued we need to learn to rest in God’s provision. Just imagine what that might do for us spiritually and emotionally. Imagine how that might encourage our families and set a great example of trust for our sons and daughters. I think we would do well to be more like Chic-Fil-a. We should learn to rest on the Sabbath and recharge our spirits.
But we also need to learn to celebrate God’s provisions in our lives. When we gather in this place each week we should come in here with our spirit overflowing with thanksgiving and we should celebrate! But unfortunately, most often many Christians don’t seem to celebrate. Honestly, many seem to be very passive. What a shame it would be if when we leave here that God didn’t feel like we celebrated His goodness in our lives.
CONCLUSSION
Let’s be thankful this morning that God’s law was never given to establish a relationship but rather to confirm an existing relationship.
God made a choice to purchase us by His GRACE and these rules do not stand as a gateway into a relationship with Him. But rather they confirm that we already belong to Him!
Exodus 20
Last week we said that grace is God giving us what we don’t deserve. I realize that it goes against everything we feel because most of us can’t imagine overlooking someone’s sin and giving them what they don’t deserve. But just because we operate that way doesn’t mean that God operates that way. It is true because of grace. God gives us what we don’t deserve.
And since we are talking about this, I have to ask another question. If God is going to give us what we don’t deserve then what was the point of giving us the law? Now I realize that there are some who believe the law was given to us in order for us to work our way into eternity. When you stop and think about it, most of the world’s religious systems have a type of works based theology.
But then on the other hand, you have other faiths that believe that salvation is not attained by works but rather it is by faith and grace alone. According to them the giving of the law had nothing to do with salvation.
Now I’m sure that most of us probably think to ourselves, “Is it really this complicated?” Well it doesn’t have to be. Now I know in real estate the three most important words are location, location, location. But in understanding the Bible the three most important words are context, context, context. Therefore, it just makes sense if you want to have a better understanding of law and grace that we have to go back and take a look at the Ten Commandments and understand the storyline behind them.
I love having a conversation with people about the Ten Commandments. There are a few things that jump out at me whenever I get to have these conversations. First, I don’t think I have ever run into someone who has never heard of them. Second, most people have a healthy respect for the Ten Commandments. What I mean is many people I have spoken with believe that if people would live by them society would be better off. And finally, I typically ask people if they can name all of the Ten Commandments and most seem to struggle.
So let me ask you this morning… why don’t you turn to the person next to you and name all the Ten Commandments. Okay… which ones did you get? I imagine most of you got thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not lie and maybe thou shalt not commit adultery. What is amazing is just how good we are at knowing the “thou shalt not’s!” And if we are not careful we will begin to see salvation through the lenses of the “thou shalt not’s,” and begin to think that the law is all about earning eternal life.
This morning let’s take a look at what God addressed in the law and see if we can’t get a better understanding of the law’s purpose.
GOD PROVIDED INSTRUCTION TO THEM
As we said last week, the Hebrews had been in bondage in Egypt for 400 years when God sent Moses to lead them out of bondage. But there was some information that they needed to have before they could move forward and get settled in their new home.
In Egypt they were exposed to the false gods of the Egyptians and the corrupt system of justice that solely depended upon Pharaoh’s mood swings. So with that kind of background it was pretty clear that they would need a refresher course about the God of their fathers. So first we see that they needed to get to know the God of their forefathers. But they also needed some rules to live by and for the record there were many more laws than just ten. They literally had hundreds of laws that dealt with anything from diet to sanitation, from marriage to property rights.
When you read through much of the Old Testament writings you will probably wonder what is up with all these rules? You and I have to remember who the Hebrews were prior to this point… they were a nation of slaves, who had never known what it was to be responsible for their own actions. These freed slaves had never had a national leader and they had never had any laws that would govern their conduct.
So God, in His wonderful grace, gave them some laws to live by that provided detailed instructions for how they should live and how they should treat one another. You see; that is what the Ten Commandments were all about. The commandments had nothing to do with eternity and everything to do with how to adapt to becoming the nation that God had promised Abraham his descendants would become.
So up until this point the only thing they knew about God was that He was powerful enough to free them from bondage and that He could do some pretty incredible miracles. But there was so much more to know about God!
GOD INTRODUCED HIMSELF TO HIS PEOPLE
Remember what we said, the Hebrew people had to get acquainted with the God of their fathers. So that leaves us asking the question; “What did God teach them about Himself?”
He is Personal and Relational. Notice what it says in Exodus 20:2 “I am the LORD your God.” (Exodus 20:2 ESV) It is really interesting the way it reads because you would think it could have just as easily said “I am the Lord, The God.” But the pronoun “your” changes everything because “your” certainly communicates that God considers this relationship to be very personal. But what is so interesting is that the phrase “your God” certainly teaches us that before the commandments were ever given, God already had a relationship with them. God clearly is telling them that they already belong to Him. So if that is the case then it is obvious that the law does not determine relationship.
He is Almighty. I love how God begins to reminds Moses that, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” (Exodus 20:2 ESV) Just think for just a moment all the memories those two phrases brought back to Moses’ recollection. Not only did God free them from the grip of Pharaoh but what about all the miracles that broke the will of Pharaoh? I can’t help but wonder if Moses didn’t chuckle a bit when remembered the frogs and locusts. It was clear that God had made a joke out of the Egyptian gods.
He is a trusted guide and provider. God gave them a pillar of cloud to follow by day and a pillar of fire to follow by night. (Exodus 13) Then in Exodus 15 & 16 God provided food and water for them while in the wilderness.
The point is clear to Moses and to the Hebrew people, that God has been their God since the time He made a covenant with Abraham 600 years earlier. God is telling them that He had a relationship with them long before he ever told them what the rules would be. God is amazingly good and gracious to them. Think about it… Relationship was the first priority and rules came later. Perhaps the reason God chose that order was because He knew that rules without having a relationship would not be a blessing to His people.
THE GUIDANCE OF THE LAW
If you remember, last week we focused on the last 6 laws that taught them how to live and relate to one another. This morning we are going to look at the first three laws and see how they teach us to relate to God.
First, they were to make God a priority. Notice in verse three, it says, “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3 ESV) God is reminding them that He is a jealous God and that He is to be their one and only God. Now this is a pretty important command… once again you have to remember that they just came out of Egypt where they were polytheistic. God made it clear that will not be tolerated.
But imagine how difficult of a law this must have been for them. Not only did they come out of 400 years of polytheism but God also tells them in the FOURTH COMMAND that they were not allowed to make any images or idols. Think about it… if you think downsizing to one god was tough for them; imagine having to swallow an invisible God. But this is what sets God apart and honestly any image they might come up with wouldn’t adequately represent Him. And besides that, God didn’t want His people to be enslaved to a man made idol, especially when their God was living and desired to have a personal relationship with them.
Third, they were to show respect to God. Notice verse 7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.”
(Exodus 20:7 ESV) I can remember one time having my mouth washed out because I misused God’s name. My mother would not tolerate that at all. But really this command has far more significance that simply saying God’s name. It is more about not ascribing God’s name to anything that He would not endorse Himself.
For example, Jewish tradition would allow you to make a commitment to God that when you die all your possessions will belong to Him, but if He wants to use them before you die, to let you know.” They did this in order to avoid providing assistance to aging parents. They would just tell their family, “I’m sorry, I can’t help because all of my stuff belongs to God.” That is taking God’s name in vain.
Fourth, they were to remember the Sabbath and Keep it Holy (8-10). The purpose of the Sabbath is two-fold. First, to rest in His provisions and second, it was to celebrate our relationship with God.
You know, in these times when work-aholism is valued we need to learn to rest in God’s provision. Just imagine what that might do for us spiritually and emotionally. Imagine how that might encourage our families and set a great example of trust for our sons and daughters. I think we would do well to be more like Chic-Fil-a. We should learn to rest on the Sabbath and recharge our spirits.
But we also need to learn to celebrate God’s provisions in our lives. When we gather in this place each week we should come in here with our spirit overflowing with thanksgiving and we should celebrate! But unfortunately, most often many Christians don’t seem to celebrate. Honestly, many seem to be very passive. What a shame it would be if when we leave here that God didn’t feel like we celebrated His goodness in our lives.
CONCLUSSION
Let’s be thankful this morning that God’s law was never given to establish a relationship but rather to confirm an existing relationship.
God made a choice to purchase us by His GRACE and these rules do not stand as a gateway into a relationship with Him. But rather they confirm that we already belong to Him!
