The Life of Moses (14)

It was a surprising victory that Israel received in the battle with the Amalekites. It was a fierce battle, but the Lord did not let His people perish. Afterward, Moses built an altar and called it Jehovahnissi, that is, the LORD is my banner. God has sworn that He will continue His fight for them. In Him alone, those who know the true warfare will be more than conquerors, no matter how mighty the enemies are. Christ, the greater Joshua, is also on the battlefield today. He reigns and will safely lead His Church into the land that He has promised them. After this, Israel had been led further in the wilderness of Sinai. There the Lord would reveal Himself to Israel.

The place

Israel had experienced much already. Many difficulties had stood in the way, but God’s counsel would be executed irresistibly. Impossibilities had disappeared like the dew before the morning sun.

1) Israel had been made willing to depart from Egypt, and their masters had been glad to let them go.

2) The waters of the Red Sea had parted so that the covenant people went upon dry ground.

3) Marah’s waters were made sweet to a thirsty people.

4) The Amalekites had been slain.

God had manifested Himself in His judgments upon Israel and His power at the Red Sea, in His guiding hand in the pillar of cloud and of fire, in His mercies in giving manna, and in providing living water from the smitten rock. Then they had come to the wilderness of Sinai where there were barren fields, with bramble bushes like the one from which the Lord had called Moses. At the end of the wilderness, was a massive mountain, which was Horeb. It had a special shape with two pillars on the sides and one big pillar in the middle like a pulpit. There the Lord had brought Moses with the people as He had promised in Exodus 3:12b, “And this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.” It was God’s confirm ation that He Himself had sent Moses. There Moses went up unto God. This we read several times in Chapter 19 (verses 3, 8 and 20). Moses was a mediator between God and the people of Israel, and as such he was a picture of the need of the great Mediator, Jesus Christ.

The manner

The Lord spoke to the children of Israel and called them a peculiar treasure unto Him above all people (verse 5). If only they would obey His voice and keep His covenant, then they should be “unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.” What an undeserved honor for an often stubborn and rebellious people. The people had heard the message from the Lord and answered immediately, “All that the LORD hath spoken we will do” (verse 8b). It was an easy promise but showed ignorance. Their promise was good, but they did not know much as to how foolish they were. The Lord said, “After three days I will show those who so rashly promise this who I am.”

Preparations had to be made for the solemn meeting with the Lord:

a) Their clothes had to be washed.

b) Bounds had to be set round about the mountain for the people.

c) They were not allowed to touch the mount or go up into it.

d) They were not allowed to have marital intercourse.

e) They were to wait for the sound of the trumpet.

“And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.” The trumpet sounded long, and louder, and exceedingly loud, and we read in Hebrews 12:21, “And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake.” It all spoke of the majesty and holiness of God. No one could come near to Him.

This is what is experienced in the life of awakened sinners. Yes, the choice to serve the Lord willingly is sincere and upright; however, they do not know themselves and do not know how holy and righteous God is. When the Lord manifests Himself, however, like here in the wilderness to Israel, in His majesty, power, and holiness, then they fear and tremble. The need for a Mediator is also experienced, the One Mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ.

The Lord called Moses up to the top of the mountain, and said, “Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.” This applied not only to the people but also to the priests. It seemed that Moses contradicted the Lord when he said, “The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it” (verse 23b). Moses dared to contradict the Lord, yet he was not sent away in anger. How faithful and patient the Lord is with His servants. God said, “Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee.”

Moses went down and spoke to the people the words of the Lord, “I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage” (Exodus 20). What a special place Israel had among the nations!

The purpose

The Lord made a covenant with them, His people, but were they not already His covenant people? Yes, but this was the beginning of a new dispensation for Israel. It was not the Covenant of Works that the Lord made with His people. He did not make a covenant of works with fallen man. We are born in a broken Covenant of Works, but God did not make another Covenant of Works. Some have said this was a national covenant: it was indeed Israel as a nation whom the Lord addressed, but this was the same covenant that He made with Adam: “I will put enmity between thee and the woman”—it was the Covenant of Grace. This can also be shown from Galatians 3:17: “And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.” The law, which was given on Mount Sinai, did not disannul the Covenant of Grace, but it was and is still held as a mirror before the people to show them who they are. The purpose of the giving of the law is:

a) A mirror for the unconverted, for discovering who they are, to show them their misery.

b) To be a schoolmaster for a guilty, burdened people to lead unto Christ.

c) For those who know Christ and the redeeming power of His blood, it is a rule of gratitude.

The giving of the law did not take place in the beginning of God’s dealings with Israel, and so it is also often spiritually:

a) He first opened their eyes to their state of misery in Egypt.

b) He then led them out of the house of bondage. Spiritually, the bridge with the world is pulled up behind them.

c) Then Israel experienced a time of many changes, of Marahs and Elims, yet, in general, a pleasant time. They were permitted to eat the manna and drink water from the rock, though they did not know much about from whom it came. Spiritually, they were permitted to partake of the blessings that come from Christ without the knowledge of their great need of His mediatorial work to be undertaken for His people, as Hezekiah said.

d) Then they are led to Sinai where they learn of the great need of a Mediator. We read in Exodus 20:19 of the Israelites, “And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”

God spoke to Moses of a way of blood, of reconciliation. This way is revealed from behind the justice of God. Moses is a type of Christ. His soul was exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. All the lightning and thunder came upon Him. Therefore, God’s people do not come to Mount Sinai but to Mount Zion. They are a special treasure to the Lord. We read in Hebrews 12:22, “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels.” They are not come to Moses, but “to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel” (Hebrews 12:24b). He is the way of atonement for guilty people.

(To be continued)

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