ARE WE WILLING TO DO EVERYTHING THE LORD SAYS?

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

In the third month after the Israelites left Egypt—on the very day—they came to the Desert of Sinai. After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain.

Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, "This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: '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 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.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites."

So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak. The people all responded together, "We will do everything the Lord has said."

So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord."

Exodus 19:1-8

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Three months.

This is how long the more than six hundred thousand Israelites had journeyed since departing Egypt. Since that time, they had endured thirst, hunger, and attack, all with the help of their Lord, before arriving at the "Desert of Sinai" where they set up camp “in front of the mountain", what would be famously be known as Mount Sinai.

After stopping in this place, the scriptures tell us that "Moses went up to God" on the mountain and the "Lord called to him" saying this:

"This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: '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 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.'"

Indeed, as we have followed the journey of the Israelites which began back in the twelfth chapter of this book, we have seen how Lord carried Israel "on eagles' wings" this far to Himself, dividing the Red Sea for their passage and destroying Pharaoh and his army, sending quail and manna from Heaven for food, providing water from a rock, and bringing them to victory in battle against the Amalekites.

Now of interest, this mountain, Mount Sinai, where the Israelites were camping by was one and the same as Mount Horeb, the mountain where Moses had his encounter with God at the burning bush. One mountain known by two different names and it is on this mountain, the place where God called Moses to leadership, where He (God) will make a special covenant with His beloved people of Israel, just as He had made covenants with Abraham, Noah and Jacob prior.

Addressing Moses on the mountain, we find God passing on His requirements for his the Israelites were to live under His authority and these requirements would be the key to Israel’s future. In order to gain the Lord’s blessing and favor, all His people would need to do is obey His commands. If they did, He promised that they would be His “treasured possession".

Well, after receiving the words from the Lord, we read where Moses "summoned the elders of the people and set before them” everything “the Lord had commanded him to speak".

How did the Israelites respond?

Here’s what we find in our passage for today:

“We will do everything the Lord has said."

It was an amazing response and one that I’m afraid the Israelites made without really considering the weight of their words.

For everything means everything, right?

Would the people of God really do everything the Lord had told them to do?

Well, we will see where it wouldn’t take long to see that they failed miserably in keeping up their side of the deal with God and as Moses "brought their answer back to the Lord", we know that He already knew that His people were going to disappoint Him through disobedience over and over and over again, despite their vow to do otherwise.

Friends, the God of Israel is our God today and nothing has changed since those days more than 2,000 years ago at Mount Sinai. God has given us His Word in the Holy Bible and He expects us to be obedient to everything He has commanded and called for us to do. And so the question is:

Are we willing to do everything the Lord says?

As believers, there is no other proper response than a resounding “Yes!” and before we doubt our ability to live in absolute obedience, we need to remember that we love and serve a Lord who will give us the strength and wisdom to do anything. All we need to do is fully submit to His will over our own and when we do, the lives we live will be pleasing in His sight.

In today’s message, God came to the holy mountain of Sinai to address His people, telling what He expected of them.

Here in present times, He addresses those who have placed their belief and trust in Him, through the scriptures.

In both instances, the end expectation is the same. For the Lord commands and demands full compliance and submission to everything He has ordered. There is no space for compromise.

And so my prayer is that we all will embrace God’s call to obedience, accepting that we are sinners who fall short of His glory (Romans 3:23) but can do all things through His strength (Philippians 4:13), and this includes the ability to do everything He says.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.