mpc 16th January 2005.January 16 - Exodus to Deuteronomy - "RSVP"
Phil Campbell mpc 16th January 2005.
If you've ever been not quite sure how to behave yourself at a party, I've found a website on the Internet just for you. The site is called www.ehow.com. And it promises to give clear instructions on how to do just about everything.
Including how to be a proper guest at a party.
In case you didn't know, you should do things like respond to the invitation in a timely manner. Which people these days just don't do. Bring a friend only if the invitation specifies you and a guest.
All the way down to the small print details. Don't use "the big towel" in the bathroom unless there are no small guest towels available. And if a hand towel has not been set out, use the towel closest to the sink.
In the light of the last few days, they could have added another one. If you're a prince, don't turn up dressed like a NAZI.
In the end, the tips on how to be a proper guest are all about showing your appreciation for being included in a proper way.
We're picking up this morning the story of the people of Israel. A people we're going to see who have got the most incredible invitation of all. Invited to be the people of God. Invited to be God's personal treasure. The question is, what are they going to do with the invitation?
Last week we started at the beginning. With the good creation. And Adam and Eve's rebellion. Deciding right and wrong for themselves. Which took the world down a terrible spiral and has left us living in a groaning world.
And yet with Abraham, God starts over. God says he's going to bless the mess, through Abraham's family line. It's a three part promise, and last week we saw it in Genesis chapter 12. And I want you to keep the three parts of the promise in mind as the story of the bible unfolds.
1. God says to Abraham, you might just look like a lonely old man with no kids, but your descendents are going to be like the sand on the seashore. Like the stars in the sky. Too many to count.
2. God says to Abraham, I'm going to give them a land of their own. A place to call home. The promised land.
3. And God says to Abraham, through your offspring, I'm going to bless the world again. And break the cycle of sin. Through your offspring, I'm going to offer the world a whole new start.
God is going to prepare a place for his people. Who want to serve him from the heart. And we finished last week with that thought from Genesis 18 verse 18. Where God restates the plan. With just one note of conditionality. God says, "I've chosen him, I've chosen Abraham... so that he'll direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just... so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him."
If they're going to be God's guests, if they're going to be the centre of God's recreation of the world, there are just a few simple rules of etiquette.
Today we're going to look how the story unfolds.
We finished last week at the very end of Genesis. Genesis 50. With Joseph, the great-great-great grandson of Abraham on his deathbed in Egypt. Remembering God's promises. Today we're picking up at the very next page. Exodus 1. Four generations have come and gone, and Abraham's descendants are in a tight spot. They're still in Egypt, where they came looking for famine relief. Now they're trapped there.
A quick look at Exodus 1 verse 6 and 7, and you can see there's good news. And there's bad news. It says,
Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, but the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them.
Now that's the good news. God's promise is being fulfilled. He said, Abraham, I'm going to give you offspring like sand on the seashore. And they are in Egypt, exceedingly numerous.
I was at a missions conference at Mount Tamborine last Monday with my dear old Aunt, who's a keen mission supporter. She looked around and she said, you know, I counted there are 23 of my descendents and relatives here. And there were. With Abraham, it's too many to count.
But here's the bad news. The Egyptians don't like it. The Israelites are breeding like rabbits, and the Pharoah of Egypt says it's got to stop. Verse 8 and 9, he says, "Look, we've got to do something about it - or there'll be more and more of 'em, they'll buy all the best real estate, and start putting up signs in Hebrew that we can't even read. And they'll run all the media, and there won't be any room on the beaches. They'll take over."
And so they put slave masters over the Israelites, and they oppress them. And verse 11, they force them to build the store cities of Pithom and Rameses. And life for the Israelites is a misery.
Good news and bad news. Lots of descendants of Abraham. But they're oppressed. In a place a long way from the land God said he was going to give them as their own. And they're crying out to God. Because God promised more than this. God said they were going to be blessed. And that anyone who cursed them would have him to deal with. Which isn't what life in Egypt looks like at all.
The even better good news is, God's listening. Turn over to Exodus 2 verse 24. He hasn't forgotten about them. Because it says there, "God heard their groaning and remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob."
Now notice again, that's our theme. God's promises to Abraham. And here it is in Exodus chapter 2. God remembers His promise. He brings it to mind. It's time to do something about promise part 2. Because God's promised them a land of their own. So He grabs a man called Moses, and He says, it's time to move.
Exodus tells one of the great stories of the bible. And you can read how God redeems his people from bondage in the next ten chapters or so. How Moses goes to the Pharoah, and he says "I've got a message from our God. And he says you've gotta let my people go." And Pharoah says no way. Over and over again. God sends plagues, and droughts and hail. And finally, in the middle of chapter 13, you get to the great event. The Exodus. Which means the departure. And that's exactly what they do. The great departure from Egypt.
Because God's keeping His promises to Abraham. And so He opens up the waters in front of them, He leads them through the Red Sea and into the desert. And the Egyptian soldiers who chase them in chariots are washed away as the waters crash down behind them. It's the sort of stuff Cecile B Demille loved to make movies about, with Charlton Heston as the star.
Pick it up quickly at the end of Exodus 14. Verse 29. And you get a good summary.
But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.
Can you see they're learning they're at the centre of God's plan? They're hugely privileged - that the God of the universe has chosen to bless them. And because He's done that, they're in awe of him. And put their faith in him. Which is exaclty what they should be doing.
But in the next breath, things change. Moses leads them out through the Desert of Shur. A dry place. And they're travelling, and there's no water. Things are tough. And they finally come to some water... and what do you know? It's bitter.
This is the school of hard knocks. This is Outback Jack. Actually, if you've been watching a bit of TV it's more like The World's Biggest Loser. A dieting competition where last week they had to bake chocolate brownies, and they weren't even allowed to lick the spoon. This is Israel in the desert. Parched lips and cracked tongues, and a muddy water hole that's there in front of you and you can't even drink it.
So are these Israelites going to fear the Lord and trust him only when things go right? Or are they going to do it when things are tough as well? That's the big question. Pick it up in Exodus 15 verse 24. What happens?
Verse 24. So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?"
Let me tell you, this is the first grumble of many. Over and over again.
But Moses prays. And God says, throw that bit of wood in the water. And he throws it in the water and the water's sweet again. Problem solved. But keep reading. Because it's the start of a trend. It's a sign of what the Israelites are going to be like. So from here on, God's going to test them.
Do they want to be his people? Or not? These are the people God chose and God saved. Are they going to trust Him and listen? Or not? They're invited to a great party. But in the end, they're not sure they want to be there. And they're showing it.
Exodus 19; turn the page; they arrive at Mount Sinai. And God's going to spell out a very clear choice. He's going to tell them what being his people is going to look like. Here's what they call "The Sinai Covenant." Here's the contact between God and Israel spelt out in detail. Including the fine print.
And I want you to follow from verse 4. Chapter 19 verse 4. God says this. He says, "I chose you and I saved you." So make up your minds whether or not you're coming to the party.
He says,
You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all the nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
There it is. They're invited to be God's personal treasure. They're invited to be a Kingdom of priests. They're invited to be a holy nation. Different from everyone else in the world. Which is a huge privilege. If they want it.
So Exodus 20 onwards, God spells out exactly how His people Israel are called to live. Page after page of laws and rules and regulations and rituals. Starting with the Ten Commandments in verses 3 to 17. The way God wants his saved people Israel to behave. The sort of righteous people He wants them to be.
And rule number 1... don't use the big towel in the bathroom. Not quite. The first commandment, the most important of all, you can see in verse 3. No other gods. I saved you, He says in verse 2, I brought you out of Egypt - so don't wander off and worship anything else. I saved you to be mine. So be mine! "You shall have no other gods before Me."
That's the big one. And the others follow from it. rule number 2. Don't go making an idols. Not of me. Or anything else.
Number 3. Don't misuse my name. Honour it.
Then the sabbath day. Take Saturday off and rest. In my honour.
Honour your mum and dad.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal. Don't lie. Don't be jealous of your neighbour's house or his wife or his servants or his donkey or anything else.
Followed by a whole lot of other laws as well. All equally important. A constitution for a whole new nation - because that's what they're going to be. Property rights; justice system. From here, right through Leviticus. And Numbers. God's law for Israel. The law that's going to mark them out as being different from every other nation in the world.
So how do you reckon these Israelites will go at sticking with God, doing things His way, not going off and worshipping bits of wood and tree gods and fertility gods like everyone else? How do you reckon they'll go at being different?
We're going to skip over Leviticus and Numbers. And go right to the borders of the promised land. They're still wandering in the desert. And we're going to go to Deuteronomy. Which is a record of a series of speeches by Moses. As the people of Israel are about to cross the river Jordan and finally enter the promised land.
And Moses takes the Israelites back over the story of what God's done for them already. And then spells out all over again the consequences. Of the huge decision in front of them.
Deuteronomy. Turn over to chapter 29. And notice how Moses takes them all the way back to the promises God made to Abraham. He says, God's chosen you to be his people. The big question is, are you going to take him as your God?
Because this is no casual thing. He says, here's where you make up your minds. And don't think if you go chasing after the idols you've seen in the other lands around you that everything is going to be alright. Because it won't be. This is like a marriage. God and Israel. And in a marriage, both partners have to promise to be faithful.
Because one thing's for sure. These Israelites shouldn't think they can fool around on the side. See, here's the way they mess up the party. If they think they can have the promised land and yet still chase after other gods they're kidding themselves.
So here's the warning. End of chapter 29. God says cast your mind forward a bit. He says, there are two ways this story can pan out. He says imagine one day it's all desolate. Imagine there are people walking past the smoking ruins of your cities and shaking their heads and saying what's happened here? He says if it ever comes to that, this will be why. Pick it up in Deuteronomy 29 verse 25. If it's all in ruins and people are saying, why has this happened, here's the answer. Verse 25...
It is because this people abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their fathers, the covenant he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt. They went off and worshiped other gods and bowed down to them, gods they did not know, gods he had not given them. Therefore the LORD's anger burned against this land, so that he brought on it all the curses written in this book. In furious anger and in great wrath the Lord uprooted them from their land and thrust them into another land, as it is now.
So that's the choice they're facing. Before they even set foot in the land. Life or death. Blessing or curse. Which will it be? How's the story going to pan out?
We won't spoil the ending by going there today, but can I just point out if you're looking at the way the Bible's put together in a literary way, what you've got in this little slice of Deuteronomy is a perfect summary of the way the Old Testament story unfolds. End of chapter 29, first few verses in chapter 30. It's like the table of contents of everything that's about to unfold.
They're going to be given the promised land. Keep reading and you'll see it happen. And God says, if you rebel, you'll be thrown out. Keep reading, and that's the question you're always going to have in mind. Will they? Or won't they? From the technical point of view of narrative analysis, that's the way the plotline keeps the reader in suspense. That's the question hanging out to be answered.
But even then... even in the worst case scenario... even if the people of Israel are thrown out of their land... that's not the end of the story. Pick up in chapter 30 verse 1. Because even if everything in the promised land is crushed, there's still room for an Israel to come back to God and start again. The only thing is, they'll have to want it right from the heart. Follow along. Verse 1...
When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come upon you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations, and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back.
And it goes further. Turn back to him like that and he'll even change your hearts. Which is exactly what Israel needs. <<slide 6>>
5 He will bring you to the land that belonged to your fathers, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers. 6 The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.
Which leaves even more unanswered questions - more suspense. If Israel is ever thrown out of the land, will they ever turn back heart and soul to God? Or not? Will there ever be... an Israelite who'll do that? When we've followed the story to that point, you'll be amazed that there ever could be.
We're going to leave it there for today. With the people of Israel faced with a life and death choice. Which Moses spells out one more time in verse 15.
See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
They're invited. But are they going to trash the place? Or respect it? They'll either serve God from the heart and live in the promised land and be blessed. Or they'll be thrown out. Which is it going to be?
I don't want to draw too many conclusions today. Because we're only part way through the story. And so far, please be aware it's a story about Israel. And not us.
But will you notice the story's got some parallels, hasn't it? With a parable Jesus told. Which we read at the start. From Matthew chapter 22. Listen again. He's talking to some Pharisees. Experts in God's law. And he says this:
The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
They wouldn't even botherto RSVP.
Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.' But they paid no attention and went off--one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
I wonder who he's talking about?
It's a long time after the Old Testament story has run its course. They've been in the promised land. They've been thrown out once already. And now it's their opportunity to be blessed again. They're invited to the banquet. And yet Jesus says they haven't even bothered to respond.
So then the King says to his servants in Matthew 22, verse 8,
'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
Which is where we come into the story. No matter who you are, you're invited. Israelite or not. Good, bad or anywhere in between. To be part of God's great party. The choices are the same. Because he's still looking for a people who want to be righteous. Who are hungry to be people who do what's right and just right from the heart. Not that you've got to start righteous. But that you're hungering to be that way. Jesus is saying, if you want that, come to me. And I'll fill you with it.
The invitation's out there. And the first rule of party etiquette is to RSVP. But I guess the excuses are the same. What's it going to be... for you?