To Read: Exodus 17

“I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink. So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not.’” (Ex. 17:6,7)

Don’t doubt in the dark what you have seen in the light. God is light and he speaks and acts to enlighten us. Exodus chapters 15,16, and 17 blaze with light. The songs of Moses and Miriam in chapter 15 exalt the Lord for saving Israel and sending forth the waters of the Red Sea to drown Pharaoh and his horsemen. Three days later, when they were parched when they came upon the bitter waters at Marah. At the command of God, Moses threw a piece of wood into the waters to make them sweet. Chapter 16 reports that a month and a half out of Egypt the Israelites were fed by the hand of God with manna and quail. In spite of repeated acts of deliverance, the Israelites continually lapsed into doubt that God would once again do them good. In chapter 17 the Israelites were once again so parched that they feared dying of thirst. Despite the brightness of the light the Lord shined on them, they doubted whenever the situation darkened. 

For centuries, America has been a bright light beckoning the worlds huddled masses but the days have darkened. Jobs are disappearing. Financial markets totter. National debt is astronomical. Mocking moral uprightness is a form of entertainment. More and more disbelieve that God even exists. Many doubt that there is hope for the nations future. Perhaps the United Sates has served the purpose for which the Lord raised it up. If not, it will not be saved by political compromise. Making more money will not be our salvation. No amount of organizing moral reformation societies will make any real difference. It was faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to the Bible that launched us on our way. We were never a Christian nation; there is no such thing. Historically, we were a nation that grew out of the Christian Church. Wisdom would have us believe and not doubt that the Lord revive the churches.

“The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, ‘What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?’ Moses answered him, ‘Because the people come to me to seek God’s will Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and laws.’” (Ex. 18:13-16)

Moses was the bottleneck in the Israelite camp. Every conflict among the people was laid at his feet. The people would take no action without Moses approval.  Jethro, Moses father-in-law, gave him a piece of advice that is still an important message for pastors and church leaders today.

An issue arose at my first leadership meeting of the Byfield Parish Church. Certain of the Deacons who received the offering also sang in the choir. They did this in their choir robes. Some were offended by the practice. Others were untroubled by the robes. When the issue was discussed at the Deaconate meeting, I offered that the wearing of robes did not offend me. At the close of the meeting, the chairman observed that no decision had been made regarding the robes. One man who was secretly seething at my acceptance of the practice injected, “I think the pastor has spoken.” It occurred to me that the church was in the habit of deferring to the pastor on congregational matters. That expectation threatened to make me the bottleneck in the Byfield Church. Then and there, I decided to take Jethro’s advise to heart. On those matters that concerned my responsibility as pastor, I took the lead. 

 “And the Lord said to Moses, ‘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 go up the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.’”

(Ex. 19:10-12)

Australia has its own version of Mount Sinai. In August of 2009, we spent three days at that site, called Ayers Rock. Looming above the desert floor in central Australia is a giant sandstone formation. It looms almost a thousand feet in the air. The base is five miles around. Fifteen hundred feet of the rock is under ground. The Aboriginal name of Ayers Rock is Uluru. Aborigines identify Uluru as a religious site. It is not to be touched. Signs abound warning visitors to neither climb the rock nor take even a stone chip for a souvenir. Some who disregarded the prohibition believed they were experiencing a curse and sent back the stolen pebble. Traditional Aboriginal religion includes the belief that Uluru is part of the creation story. It is thought to be the home of ancestral beings. These mythical creatures were believed to be active in forming the natural features that mark the mountain. Not at Uluru, but at Mount Sinai the Lord chose to manifest his covenant to the human race.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the author of the book of Hebrews wrote of the significance of meeting with God on Mount Sinai. “You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire, to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them. You have come to mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” (12:18,19,22-24) Sinai was an event designed to show the significance of meeting Jesus Christ. In him, God speaks to the man or woman of faith.

“And God spoke all these words; ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery..”

(Ex. 20:1,2) 

When I was called to Byfield, theological liberalism was at its zenith. Seminary professors convinced preachers and preachers persuaded people in the pew that “God helps those who help themselves.” That meant trust in ones own good works. Many informed me that, “My religion is the Ten Commandments” or “My religion is the Sermon on the Mount.” In neither case did the person mean what God meant when he gave the ten commandment or what Jesus meant by preaching the Sermon on the Mount. In both instances the teaching was intended for those who had been received by God on the basis of his grace. 

To illustrate the place of the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount in the believer’s life, I told of an incident in the life of evangelist Dwight L. Moody.  It is told that Moody promised to take his little boy to the circus. Moody would work in the morning and take the boy to the circus after lunch. Being little, the boy got up in the morning expecting his mother to get him ready for the big day. Of course, his mother knew better than to dress him in the morning for something in the afternoon. The boy would not stop pleading so, exasperated, his mother washed him and dressed him. When Moody returned at noon the boy was ready to go but Moody was not ready to take him. By playing all morning the youngster had dirtied himself and his clothes. Nevertheless, the child would not take no for an answer. His mother had washed and dressed him and he was ready for the circus. Moody’s words fell on deaf ears. Finally, the man walked his son into the front foyer and stood him before the full-length mirror. Then it was that even the tyke could see that he needed to be cleaned up. It is important that Moody did not attempt to clean his son by rubbing him up and down against the mirror.  

Salvation is by grace through faith. The Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount are given to the redeemed that they might live to please God.
 

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