2026_08_30_Exodus

He said, we don't want to be unclothed. And God has provided for that to resurrect a body that never decays.

That's pretty amazing in itself, isn't it?! That's something to look forward to. So, back to Exodus.

The Lord has this under control. We see God's working. And as you pointed out, we've come through Genesis. In the beginning, God created.

And he said, it's good. Now, did he say it's good because he looked around and he said, oh, that came out better than I expected?

He knew. He knew. So, we're beginning with verse 24 literally, but we will go ahead and get into it right away.

Father, thank you for gathering us together. Thank you for your word to give us instruction and encouragement. And because of that, we have hope.

Because we see that you have been and are faithful. And you have provided a way for us to be with you eternally.

Okay. Now, help us to learn from this dispensation in which we're studying right now. And the beginnings of the law.

To understand where we are in this day of grace. And to understand that now, apart from the law, there is a righteousness of God.

And we're so grateful for that. Because we realize that no man has ever truly kept the law except Jesus the Christ.

And it's in his name that we pray. Amen. Amen. Now, chapter 23, beginning with verse 24, but I'm going to back up just enough to say, God has made a provisional promise.

And what was that? If you will do what I tell you to do, and keep all the commandments I gave you, what?

All right. I will be an enemy unto your enemies. Right? And an adversary unto thine adversaries.

And he says, my angel will go before you and bring you into this land, the land of the Amorites, Hittites, and Perizzites, and Canaanites, and Hivites, and Jebusites.

And I will cut them off. I'll cut them off. If you do what I tell you to do. Now, when you come into this land, what are you not to do?

Don't worship their gods. What else? Okay.

Don't worship their gods. Don't take their idols. And don't do what they're doing. So, do not after their works, he says.

Now, they were not. But that hasn't been, that will be stated specifically later.

But, right now, they're not to get involved with them. Now, in this day of grace, we are not under the law.

Are we told anything about how we should live?

Should I go and live as the other Gentiles live? It's put in Ephesians. To the church. No.

No. What's he say to the Corinthians? Don't be unequally yoked with unbelievers. He said, what? Look, you belong to Christ, right?

And if you are Christ and united with Christ, why would you take what is Christ and unite it with Belial or the unbeliever?

Why would you do that? Well, it's not just marriage either, is it? Is the church ever tempted to say, well, the world's methods are pretty interesting?

Here, Israel is told, don't do what they're doing.

Don't partake with them. I spoke to a missionary one time who had, who, I think he had just left India, for instance.

I'm pretty sure it was just left India. He may have been going back. And one of the things he mentioned was the difficulty in the church with syncretism, wherein people acknowledge that they want to be Christians.

They say, I've come to Christ, but they still incorporate Hindu belief into their philosophy of life.

So what you get is a mixture, which may not be the gospel at all in some cases or in most cases.

So it's still a warning for the church. We should learn from it. We are saved by grace and not by works. But the works still matter.

They should follow. Okay. Now, verse 24. Israel is not to worship the idols of the peoples, but what are they to do?

I'm sorry? Destroy them. Break them down. Throw them away. Now, partially, entirely, utterly, utterly, utterly, destroy them.

And then what are they to do? They're to destroy the idols and, and worship the Lord.

And, in keeping with what we've already read back in 20, only the Lord. That's the point.

You shall have, two or three other gods before me. None. By the way, this business is going to plague Israel.

Let's get in our time machine. This business is going to be with Israel for a long time. who is the man in scripture that is called the man after God's own heart?

David when David this also was unintentional but it just came to me when King David when Absalom was trying to destroy him or not Absalom Saul was trying to destroy him he was married to Michael Saul's daughter how did he escape the king's men when they came to kill him well she put the she put the image the teraphim in his bed and covered it up and said he was sick in bed near death come on David the teraphim is an idol it's a it's a statue used for religious purposes this is going to plague Israel for a long time

I thank God for grace because he knew what was going to happen anyway back to the point so you shall serve the Lord your God what will he do for them okay I will okay okay well it doesn't say he's just going to give it to them he's going to bless it so what does that mean they're going to have plenty I'm going to give you I'm going to increase your fields your crops are going to do well you're going to have plenty of water things are going to go well okay what else I think I heard this the next one all right yeah you're going to this is the prosperity gospel well it is now does the prosperity gospel apply to this dispensation no what does God promise any blessings blessings to the church to the Christian yeah okay what does he say you have every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies now do I have to do I have to know it to have it he doesn't say that he tells me as a Christian you already have it it doesn't always feel like it does it now what about material prosperity that's what the Lord is offering to Israel right here does he offer that to the church nowhere in the scripture do we see that part now having said that there are some things that are principles in general if I obey the principles that God outlines in his word including those given to the church like let not these things be named among you don't you know don't be unequally yoked work with your hands for the things that are with things that are good in general if I obey those principles things are going to go better in life in general but he doesn't say you're never going to be sick he doesn't say hey

Roger if you only listen to my instructions you wouldn't be ill as though this body's going to live forever in this state no no that's not what the Lord says now there are some things I can do to help there are or maybe I should say there are some things I could do to hinder so that doesn't mean that that God's wisdom and and his instructions don't apply and won't be a blessing but that's not really what he's saying here he's saying if you obey me your crops will be fine your water will be fine your health will be good your days will all been be fulfilled you see there in verse 26 you're going to live to be old and your your your livestock will not cast their young they won't abort you're going to have full crops full return okay verse 27 what else will he do

I am going to send my fear before you so that all the peoples that that you encounter will be destroyed they'll turn their backs to you and I'll I'll use in this case it's rendered hornets I will use these animals to drive them out of the land all right now is he going to do that all at once I'm sorry no what does he say I won't drive them all out in one year why okay so what's

God's plan in this if they obey him what's God's plan or what's God's promise to them I want to be careful when I say what's God's plan because does he already know what they're going to do yeah but that's easy enough for the church to go to the scripture in the New Testament to the church where he says look this plan in Christ Jesus was in the mind of God from the beginning but I haven't revealed it except through the apostle Paul that's a rough paraphrase of it but that's what he says in Ephesians he said look this isn't a what do I do now kind of plan we can read back and see pictures of it

I don't think we can see the apostle Paul will say it's been witnessed to by the prophets however it was never prophesied by the prophets that is in the time they're living if we're with Israel now that's not prophesied we don't see that he hadn't revealed that we can go back and read it and say oh I see the picture we see that with Noah remember Noah we see a picture of the church we see that Noah found what in the eyes of the Lord grace or favor in the eyes of the Lord and God told him build an ark and he obeyed and he built an ark and God chose it says in scripture God chose to save eight people through the flood as well as the kinds of animals to repopulate the earth we see a picture of salvation but it's not really we see it in

Abraham in fact Abraham in Romans 4 is going to be used as the picture of salvation by salvation by grace through faith is promised and secure because of what God said to Abraham and then when when the apostle Paul reveals there in Romans he will say he will make this statement it applies to Israel it applies directly to the church and the statement is that the promises of God are without revocation or they are solid God does not repent of his promise he doesn't change his mind on it now there are some provisional promises where he says if you do this then this is going to happen but it's not as though he doesn't know what they're going to do because if that could even be and

Israel had thoroughly obeyed then the gospel wouldn't have been necessary in the day of grace but God had ordained everything and in Romans 11 he's going to end chapter 11 of Romans with who is it that understands this he said the depth of the wisdom of God okay I'm sorry about that okay lest the land be desolate and the beasts multiply so he describes what he's going to do he says little by little I'm going to drive them out so that you'll as you your population increases you'll overtake it and the land won't be desolate okay now what land will they inherit okay from the red sea to the mediterranean and from the desert under the river or the euphrates so

I will deliver the inhabitants into your hand and you'll drive them out what what are you not to do see he really iterates this regularly make no covenant no agreement with them nor with their gods don't do it now go back if you would please to Genesis chapter 15 this is where God makes the covenant with Abraham and we know that was this a two way covenant was it a provisional covenant Abraham if you do this then I'll do this no who went through the covenant

God alone so God says Abraham this is dependent only upon me now can I rely upon God that should be an easy answer shouldn't it but why is it hard I know you've never encountered it but sometimes in life it's a little difficult well some of us have a little difficulty sometimes saying okay God I rely totally on you I'm going to trust you I don't see that this is going to work all right make no covenant with their gods now Genesis chapter 15 verse 18 gives a little clarification there and it's the interpretation was already given unto thy seed

I have given this land from the river of Egypt which is the Nile to where in the north the great river the Euphrates see the promised land's a lot bigger than it is right now or that it ever was even in David's and Solomon's time they exercised a lot of dominion around it but Israel's never been quite that large it will be one day it will be and so that gives a little clarification it's not just from the south there at the beginning of the Sinai desert it's all the way down to Egypt that all belongs to Israel now yeah isn't that something in in the kingdom it says ten ten men are going to grab the skirts of a

Jew and say take me to Jerusalem because God is there now where is God he is everywhere but sometimes he will say I will cause my presence to appear there I will establish it and that's what he's done at the mountain remember the dark cloud the fire the quaking and the sound of the trumpet and the voice of God all right now back to verse 33 why does God tell or yeah back to Exodus chapter 23 verse 33 why does God tell them that no Canaanite may live in their land he says they're going to be a snare to you he's going to say that a multitude of times now was

God wrong time and again yeah yep now he said if if if you let them dwell there they will make you sin against me and it's going to be a snare now verse 24 he had said you shall not bow down to their gods nor do after their works and in 32 you shall make no covenant with them nor with their gods we've already talked about what what

God says to the church in this day of grace be not unequally yoked what what union does God have with Belial and he said he doesn't say by the way in that if you take that out of its context and I have heard you know some people who take that out of its context and they say come out from among them and touch no unclean thing and they take that to mean don't be part of the rest of the world the apostle Paul didn't mean that because in that same letter Paul is going to say when I say that I don't mean that you separate he is talking about the man who committed the gross sexual sin and you separate yourself from him he said I don't mean that you need to leave you can't just leave the world that's not what he means but he does mean don't be yoked up with it he for the

Christian the best friends are Christians because you think the same if my best friend who I trust the most and who I tell everything to and who I get my advice from is not a Christian what am I doing I'm going to the world for advice that's what he's saying when he says don't be unequally yoked he's saying be careful where you get your advice now that doesn't mean that if your car is broken you only go to a Christian mechanic you go to the best mechanic you can hire but I don't go to that guy to talk about my marriage right if

I I don't go to that guy to talk about God or my relationship with someone in my church body that's not what I'm to do that's what he means by don't be unequally idiot let's go into chapter 24 please now God says to Moses come up unto the Lord and bring somebody with you who okay who's Aaron okay who's Abihu and Nabab Nadab they are Aaron's sons now God has chosen them he hasn't revealed it exactly yet what for but you already know why why are they going they are going to be the priests they are of the family of who's their tribal name

Levi now this will come obviously much more when God gets into the tabernacle and the service and the carrying the stuff from the tabernacle but we will take a preliminary just enough to say the Levites will be responsible for all of the tabernacle and the service of the tabernacle and the carrying of it and that will be outlined very very strictly by the Lord now the family of Aaron who is of okay here's Levi Aaron's one of them Moses is another there's there are many people now that are of the family of Levi but it's going to be Aaron's heritage that are going to be the priests that's what it that's a a forerunner here so he says you bring Aaron you bring his two sons and you bring who else the 70 elders would be leaders of the tribes so the 70 elders of

Israel it's not just choose the 70 oldest guys these are leadership positions and all the tribes are going to be represented so you bring those up they're going to come onto the mountain what did God tell what had God told them before this is going to be important what about the mountain when they came to the mountain and God said I'm going to descend on it in three days what are they to do right put bounds around it if an animal touches it what do you do you kill it if if a man touches it what do you do if a child touches it what do you do God says I'm not to be trifled with he's going to tell them that okay so

God had said if you touch this mountain you're going to die now he tells Moses you come into the mountain and you bring these people with you I'd be I'll tell you what Moses I'm not feeling so well today why don't you take my brother now so what do the people respond well he I'm going to back up what does God tell them that Aaron and Nabab Nadab and Abihu and the 70 what are they going to do they can they're going to come up the mountain with you but they're not they're going to worship here and Moses you alone come into that cloud okay now

Moses tells the people this and what do they say everything the Lord says we've heard this one before haven't we okay now verse four what did Moses do he wrote all the words of the Lord now I don't know how many of those there were or what they consisted of but Moses wrote this these are the words of the and I suspect I believe it is the words of the covenant that is if you do this then this I suspect that at any rate

Moses wrote the words of the Lord and he got up early in the morning and did what he built an altar and what what did they do all right now what did Moses do when when the young men were offering the the sacrifices what did Moses do he put he collected the blood and put it in bowls and he he put part of it on the altar and what did he do with the rest of it right he took half the blood of the sacrifice

I'm sorry okay now Moses built an altar describe it okay there were twelve pillars why twelve pillars each one represented a tribe do you remember what this altar is going to look like okay we did not go through it but in Exodus 20 this was one of the rules in Exodus 20 this would be verses 24 through 26 God gave Moses the requirement for the altars so if you build an altar to me

God says what do you build it of earth and if you build it of stones what do you do you don't wield a tool on it yep you don't cut the stones for my altar now can you cut the stones for the buildings yes can you cut the stones for my altar no because he says specifically in those verses if you wield a tool on it you pollute my altar back to the reading back to the reading when we see in the day of grace and we look back we can see something of a picture of our salvation what do we do to come to God what do we provide in our salvation he said your works are if you use works

Roger to come to me you just pollute what I did the apostle Paul will word it this way if it's by works then it's owed to you and grace is no more grace and if it's by grace that you are saved then it's not by works otherwise grace otherwise works is not works he said you can't mix it that's kind of a picture here isn't it when God says don't you put a tool on my altar you just use the rough stone now he makes one more rule in there don't build steps and specifically so that when the priest ascends the altar they won't be exposed now later on

God God is going to make a law for the priests that they're going to have special he's going to they're going to be the one people or the one men in Israel that are going to wear underwear so that when they ascend the altar they won't be exposed so that's the rule we know there basically what the altar looked like and we're going to have to stop there beginning if we can with verse 4 of chapter 24 next week Moses is going to read aloud to the people have wonderful week