Êxodo 19
Steven Cole · Citado em PreceptAustin
Êxodo 19
Cole - “The word conventionally translated ‘wilderness’ is not a sandy desert, but grazing country, not settled by man.” (See context in Exodus: An Introduction and Commentary)
Êxodo 19
Cole - This is the beginning of a great block of teaching (combined with some narrative background) that stretches from here, through Leviticus, up to Numbers 10 (Nu 10:11). All is represented as being given at Sinai, and within a comparatively short time. From then on, the story deals with the journey to Kadesh Barnea, incidents on the way, and incidents happening there and thereafter. Curiously, little detail is preserved of the long ‘wilderness period’ (which, in biblical chronology, would have been some thirty-eight years: cf. Deut. 2:14), but such is the way of biblical history. Long periods are passed over in silence if felt to be spiritually insignificant, while short periods often receive detailed treatment. (See context in Exodus: An Introduction and Commentary) Saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel - Jehovah begins to give instructions to Moses. It is interesting that Jehovah used two names which are essentially synonymous house of Jacob and sons of Israel. The former is a much less common designation of the nation (22x - see below), while the designation sons of Israel is found 645x in 602 verses (NASB). Kaiser on 2 names to nation - A twofold title is used for the people of God (v.3): “house of Jacob” (a reminder of their humble beginnings; cf. Gen 28:13; 35:11; 49:7) and “the people of Israel” (a statement as to what they had become: a nation). Guzik posits that "With this title (house of Jacob) God associated the nation with the weakest and least stable of the patriarchs. At this point they acted more like Jacob than like Abraham or Isaac." (Exodus 19) Phrase house of Jacob occurs 22x in 22v - Gen. 46:27; Exod. 19:3; Ps. 114:1; Isa. 2:5; Isa. 2:6; Isa. 8:17; Isa. 10:20; Isa. 14:1; Isa. 29:22; Isa. 46:3; Isa. 48:1; Isa. 58:1; Jer. 2:4; Jer. 5:20; Ezek. 20:5; Amos 3:13; Amos 9:8; Obad. 1:17; Obad. 1:18; Mic. 2:7; Mic. 3:9; Lk. 1:33 MOSES ASCENDING AND DESCENDING THE MOUNTAIN OF GOD The following chart is from Warren Wiersbe and is an attempt to identify the multiple times Moses ascended and descended the Mountain of God.
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Cole has an interesting description that "God’s ‘particularist’ choice of Israel has a wider ‘universalist’ purpose. (See context in Exodus: An Introduction and Commentary) THOUGHT - Today EVERY BELIEVER in Jesus Christ is a PRIEST TO GOD. Priests are not priests of God because they belong to a specific denomination but because they belong to Jehovah by grace through faith in Jesus Christ! The apostle Peter wrote "you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST - Heb 3:1, 10:21). (1 Peter 2:5+) "A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that (TERM OF PURPOSE = HERE IS OUR PURPOSE!) you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9+) John writes that "Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him Who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father, to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen." (Revelation 1:5-6+). "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth." (Rev 5:10+) Of course for believers, all of who are now priests, one of the greatest blessings is that we all now can have bold, free access to the throne of grace (Heb 4:16+, cf Ro 5:2+). In Exodus 22:31+ God says “You shall be holy (Heb - qodesh; Lxx - hagios - used of NT "saints") men to Me, therefore you shall not eat any flesh torn to pieces in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs." Jehovah's call to Israel to be holy is in a sense almost the "theme song" of the entire book of Leviticus... For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth. 45‘ For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.’” (Lev 11:44-45+, cf Lev 19:2+, Lev 20:7,26+, Lev 21:8+) THOUGHT - The same charge BE HOLY is given to all NT believers - As obedient children, do not be conformed (present imperative with a negative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 but like the Holy One who called you, BE (aorist imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 (WHY BE HOLY?) because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.” 17 (WHAT SHOULD MOTIVATE US TO BE HOLY?) If (NOT "IF" BUT "SINCE) you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct (aorist imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) yourselves in (HOLY, REVERENTIAL, GODLY) FEAR during the (VERY SHORT) time of your stay on earth; (AND IF YOU NEED FURTHER MOTIVATION - THEN REMEMBER THE PRICE PAID THAT MIGHT EVEN GIVE YOU THE GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE HOLY LIVES IN THIS SHORT LIFE!) 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.(1 Peter 1:14-19+) Are you daily in the Holy Word (Mt 4:4+) and learning to rely on the Holy Spirit (cf Gal 3:3+)? If so, be encouraged (Heb 12:3+, cf Gal 6:9,10+), for you are pursuing holiness without which no one will see the Lord (Heb 12:14KJV+) and the Spirit of holiness (Ro 1:4+) will take the Word (cf Jn 17:17) and progressively work a miracle in your heart day by day, just as Paul wrote explaining that "we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord (BEST BEHELD TODAY IN THE GLORIOUS WORD OF GOD), are being transformed (SPIRITUAL MATURATION IS A PROCESS - DON'T LOSE HEART! - SEE PROGRESSIVE SANCTIFICATION) into the same image (THE IMAGE OF JESUS CHRIST = "CHRIST-LIKENESS") from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit (THE LIVING SPIRIT USES THE LIVING WORD BUT IF YOU ARE NOT IN THE LIVING WORD DAILY HE HAS LESS TO WORK WITH)." (2 Cor 3:18+) And a holy nation - What's the meaning of this phrase? This is straightforward. God is holy and desires His chosen nation of Israel to be holy as He is holy. They are to be distinct, different, separate, not profane. What would be the purpose? In the midst of the Canaanite cesspool of immorality and idolatry, Israel was to strand out as group of people who were different because their God was different. And their holy behavior was to attract and draw the unholy people of the idolatrous nations to Jehovah so that He Alone might be worshipped and glorified in all the earth. As we will see Israel failed but regardless of their failure this desire of Yahweh will one day be fulfilled for Habakkuk promises "the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea." (Hab 2:14+). THOUGHT As noted above believers are now a HOLY NATION with a holy purpose "to proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9+). If we as God's people today believe and behave as who we were destined to be, a HOLY NATION, we will "Let our light shine (aorist imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) before men in such a way (SUCH A WAY MEANS THEY ARE NOT ATTRACTED TO US BUT) that they may see our good works (GOOD BECAUSE THEY ARE SUPERNATURAL, NOT NATURAL - THEY RUN COUNTER TO THE WAY THE WORLD DOES THINGS, TO THE WAY THE WORLD ACTS, ETC), and glorify (GIVE A PROPER OPINION OF THE UNSEEN GOD THROUGH THE VISIBLE "GOOD WORKS" HIS SPIRIT DOES THROUGH US, HIS LIGHTS IN THE THIS DARK WORLD) your Father Who is in heaven." (Mt 5:16+) And empowered by the Holy Spirit Who continually energizes us with the DESIRE and POWER (Php 2:13NLT+), we will "Do (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) ALL THINGS without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. (Php 2:14-16+) Wiersbe offers some wise words on what it meant for Israel to be a holy nation - In every area of life, Israel’s activities were governed by the fact that they belonged to God, and that included what they ate, what they wore, who they married, how they buried their dead, and especially how they worshiped. During the plagues in Egypt, God put a difference between them and the Egyptians (Ex. 11:7), because the Jews were not to live like the pagan Gentile nations. The Jewish priests were to set the example and also teach the people to “put a difference between holy and unholy, and between clean and unclean” (Lev. 10:10; Lev 11:47). The priests failed to do this (Ezek. 22:26; see Ezek 42:20; 44:23; 48:14–15), and their sin helped to lead the nation into defilement and destruction (Lam. 4:13). (See context in The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: Old Testament) NET Note on holy nation - They are to be a nation separate and distinct from the rest of the nations. Here is another aspect of their duty. It was one thing to be God’s special possession, but to be that they had to be priestly and holy. The duties of the covenant will specify what it would mean to be a holy nation. In short, they had to keep themselves free from everything that characterized pagan people (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 171). So it is a bilateral covenant: they received special privileges but they must provide special services by the special discipline. . (Notes) These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel - Oh, that Israel would have had ears to hear these beautiful, encouraging words! Note the specificity of Moses' instruction - these are the words! The elders were to be like "heralds" who are charged with the authority and responsibility of accurate communication of a superior's message. The elders were to be giving out the words of Jehovah, not their own words, not their interpretation of His Words, not a cliff-notes version of Yahweh's words. Stuart on the words that you shall speak - Verse 6 ends with a command to Moses to be sure that the Israelites heard Yahweh’s call to a covenant relationship (“these are the words you are to speak to the Israelites”), a command that found fulfillment immediately following. (See context in Exodus) As Warren