Obedience - the key to everything. Here are God's instructions to the Israelites:
4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. 6 And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.”
In chapter 20 are the ten commandments. I've highlighted a couple:
2 “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in Egypt."
3 “Do not worship any other gods besides me."
6 But I lavish my love on those who love me and obey my commands, even for a thousand generations.
7 “Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.
And then this one - Even though people say we are no longer "under the law" because of Christ, I think God knows we need rest and refreshment. He set the example when He created the world. I think we need to take heed and that is something I am going to try and work on. Notice the verse says it is to be a day of rest, dedicated to Him.
8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God.
And then, one that goes for children of all ages:
12 “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
So God told all this through thunder, lightening and smoke. The people were afraid and told Moses to find out what God said, because they were afraid that if He spoke directly to them, they would die. Here was Moses response:
20 “Don’t be afraid,” Moses answered them, “for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!”
22 And the Lord said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: You saw for yourselves that I spoke to you from heaven. 23 Remember, you must not make any idols of silver or gold to rival me.
And then God instructed them regarding going and overthrowing and possessing the "promised land". He stressed obedience and separation - not 'making treaties' with the people of the land. He expected His people to live differently then, and He expects us to live differently now.
20 “See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you. 21Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, and he will not forgive your rebellion. 22 But if you are careful to obey him, following all my instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will oppose those who oppose you. 23 For my angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, so you may live there. And I will destroy them completely. 24 You must not worship the gods of these nations or serve them in any way or imitate their evil practices. Instead, you must utterly destroy them and smash their sacred pillars. 25 “You must serve only the Lord your God. If you do, I will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness. 26 There will be no miscarriages or infertility in your land, and I will give you long, full lives.
27 “I will send my terror ahead of you and create panic among all the people whose lands you invade. I will make all your enemies turn and run. 28 I will send terror ahead of you to drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites. 29 But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals would multiply and threaten you. 30 I will drive them out a little at a time until your population has increased enough to take possession of the land.
32 “Make no treaties with them or their gods. 33 They must not live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me. If you serve their gods, you will be caught in the trap of idolatry.”
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