Thurs.’s Devo - The Giving of the Law

Read: Exodus 19:16-21:21; Matthew 23:13-39; Psalm 28:1-9; Proverbs 7:1-5 On the third day, a cloud came down upon the mountain along with thunder and lightning. There was a long trumpet blast that grew louder and louder that came from heaven as God was calling his people together. Moses stood at the foot of the mountain and the Lord descended in the form of fire and smoke. The whole mountain shook violently. God’s voice called Moses to the top of the mountain. God told Moses to go back down and warn the people not to break through the boundaries that they had set around the mountain or they would die. Even the priests had to purify themselves or they would be destroyed. Moses was told to go get Aaron and bring him with him. Then the Lord gave them the instructions that we call the Ten Commandments. The second commandment was to make any idol or image of anything they saw from the earth, sky or in the sea. Whoever did this, their sin would be passed down to their children and the entire family line would be affected even to the third and fourth generations. But to those that loved the Lord, their blessing would be passed down for a thousand generations. They were not to misuse the name of the Lord. The rest of them are self-explanatory. The people trembled with fear at the display of God’s glory. Moses told them that God had come to put fear in their heart to do good and not to disobey God’s commandment. It was the fear of the Lord which would help them choose good over evil. God gave them instructions of how to make an altar. It had to be made with uncut, unpolished stone. God would not allow man to take away from or add to his word. The stone represented his Word which was not to be polished or altered in anyway by man. They were also not to have steps to approach his altar. There is no formula or scholarly degree required to approach God or to serve in his kingdom. God gave them the regulations for treating a Hebrew slave. He was only to serve six years then be set free. He would leave the way he came. Anything you gave him while he was a slave would be yours when he left. He could decide to stay forever to maintain what you gave him. If he decided to stay, he was to go through a ceremony where his ear was nailed to the door and then he would served for you for life. This is the picture of our lives that God gives us. Before we are Christians we are slaves to sin and this world. If we choose to become a child of God we are crucified with Christ and then we are fee to have all that God gave us as his child, not his slave. God gave laws about murder, kidnapping, or dishonors his father or mother. These are all punishable by death. In Matthew, Jesus nailed the scribes and Pharisees. He called them the hypocrites that loved the approval of man more than the approval of God. They pretended to be righteous all the while they were the vilest of sinners. The spirit they had was the same spirit that the leaders had that killed the prophets in the Old Testament. They had the greatest among them and they were plotting to kill him. Lord, help us to not be so blind that we misinterpret what you are doing. May we stand for justice and righteousness.