Exodus 15.22-19.25
Exodus 15.22-19.25; Psalm 105
These chapters are a bridge between the exodus event (chs 13-15) and the giving of the Law at Mt Sinai (chs 20-31). These events prepared Israel for life in the Law-covenant. At least three points should be considered:
- God is jealous to be known as the Provider for His people (15.22-17.16). Here God prepared Israel for life under the Law by testing their faith, and the level of their dependence upon His providence. But just as God’s test of Abraham had a purpose (cf. Gen 22), so too He had an agenda in testing Israel’s faith. By miraculously meeting their needs and protecting them from enemies, He further taught them of His character, provided them with an objective evaluation of their level of trust in Him, and prepare them for obedience to His Law as it would be given through their leader, Moses (15.26). When God thus beckoned Israel to trust Him for water (15.22-27; 17.1-7), food (16.1-35), and protection (17.8-16), He was preparing Israel to become a trusting people—those who would recall His providence for generations (cf. Ps 105)
- God’s instructors His people in the ways He wants them to live (ch. 18). Jethro’s visit to Moses prepared Israel for the Law by establishing a leadership organization that would eventually serve as the means for instructing Israel in the Sinaitic covenant. While the text is informative of the importance of leadership delegation, Jethro’s visit goes far beyond providing Moses with some needed help. Rather, God used Jethro’s advice to configure spiritual leaders in such a way that they would be able to apply the Sinai covenant to the every-day life of the nation (vv. 21-23)
- God is dangerously Holy (Ex 19). The atmosphere at the foot of Mt Sinai was so dreadful that boundaries were to be observed simply to avoid instant death in God’s presence (v. 12); the repetition of the command for the people to keep their distance reveals the severity of the situation for any who came near without divine invitation (vv. 20-25). The terrifying scene at Mt Sinai had at least three purposes: to portray for Israel the absolute holiness of the God who would soon instruct them in covenant living (chs. 20ff); to provide Israel with an experiential foundation for the call to be a holy nation (v. 6); and to cause Israel to fear Moses as the mediator of the Sinai Law (v. 9)
The observations above provide us with a rubric for thinking about times of transition in the local church, and two points of exhortation might prove helpful:
- When your church is going through a time of transition (change of leadership, loss of a significant servant, financial blessing/hardship, et.), remember that God is yet the provider for His people. The NT is replete with texts that can be used to pray for God’s provision of finances (cf. Phil 4.10-20), spiritual leadership/giftedness (cf. 1 Cor 12; 1 Tim 3), and endurance (cf. Heb 13.20-21)
- In these situations, be mindful that God instructs you through the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 John 2.20-23), and human teachers (cf. 1 Tim 3). Trust His Word!
But these scenes also have implications for understanding the storyline of Scripture. The author to the Hebrews contrasted the image of Israel cowering in fear at the foot of Mt Sinai, with the bold access his readers enjoyed as they approached God under the auspices of the new covenant. His point was that through Christ they enjoyed unique access to God—unknown to the generations of Old Testament saints. This profound blessing provided them the means to endure their present Christian trials:
“For you have not come to what could be touched, to a blazing fire, to darkness, gloom, and storm, to the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of words. (Those who heard it begged that not another word be spoken to them, for they could not bear what was commanded: ‘And if even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned!’ And the appearance was so terrifying that Moses said, ‘I am terrified and trembling.’) Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels in festive gathering, to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to God who is the judge of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect, to Jesus (mediator of a new covenant), and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel” (Heb 12.18-24).
*For a complete list of references, please see scripturestoryline.com