Bible Study Week 4
Part 2
From Deliverance to Law
Deliverance through the Red Sea
Pharaoh at last agreed to let the Hebrews go. The Lord led them out of Egypt with a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day (Exodus 13:21). After the people left Egypt, Pharaoh changed his mind again and sent his army after the Israelites. God led the Israelites to the Red Sea. When the people saw Pharaoh's chariots closing in on them, they cried out against Moses. Moses told the people, "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever" (Exodus 14:13). Moses lifted his rod, and the Lord caused the see to go back by a strong east wind all that night (Exodus 14:7-21). The people miraculously crossed over upon dry ground with the waters as a great wall on either side. In every situation the Lord will always make a way of escape for His people. (See I Corinthians 10:13) The Egyptians were in pursuit, but as soon as the Israelites got across, the Lord had Moses stretch out his hand over the sea. The waters fell on the Egyptians and they were all drowned. "And Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore" (Exodus 14:30). Salvation is the whole process by which Christ rescues people from sin and makes them children of God.
Let us imagine a scene in which a house is burning. There is a violin in it, a Stradivarius. A music lover, knowing that the valuable violin is in the burning house, rushes in at great risk and saves it. That is salvation. The violin, however, is damaged by the heat. The music lover then takes the damaged violin to the expert craftsman. He repairs it, for he knows its value. Now the violin is not only saved from the fire, but its damage is repaired. A great violinist takes it, tunes it, and causes it to speak to us. That is salvation! The complete salvation of the violin consists of its rescue, its repair, and its restoration to the function for which its creator designed it.
Jesus Christ rescues from sin and death; He restores the soul, and He puts a new song into the heart.
Egypt represents a type of bondage, or sin. The Red Sea is a type of baptism for "all our fathers... were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea" (I Corinthians 10:1-2).
A future lesson will show that entering the Promised Land is a type of receiving Gods promise. There were battles to be fought, giants to face, and walls to bring down. Thus we see God's plan of salvation: repentance (leaving Egypt), baptism (crossing the Red Sea), and moving into the promise of God (the Holy Spirit).
The Ten Commandments
Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea into the Wilderness of Sinai. When they came to Marah, they found bitter water, unsuitable for drinking. When the people murmured against Moses, God showed him a tree. When Moses cut it down and cast it into the water, the water became sweet. Sometimes life may be bitter, but Jesus is the tree that can sweeten every life.
After three months on their journey from Egypt, they arrived at Mount Sanai. The people remained there for a period of one year. What took place at Sinai marked the beginning of Israel's national history. The covenant God made with Abraham and confirmed to Isaac and Jacob became a national covenant.
>>> You might think the Israelites would have had much faith after the Red Sea, but they soon murmured. What does that say about our human tendency to complain, even in the face of God's provision?
Gratitude takes intentionality, but it is so important. When we think of God's goodness rather than giving in to our human tendency to complain, we usually are happier and can experience more good things rather than becoming trapped in pessimism.
At Mount Sinai, God gave Moses the Law, which included the Ten Commandments as well as other moral, ceremonial, and civil laws. God intended for Israel to live by the Law until Jesus came in the fulness of time. "The law was our schoolmaster to brin us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith" (Galatians 3:24). The Law pointed out sin and the shortcomings of all human efforts to live holy without God's indwelling Spirit. God also gave Moses the plan of the Tabernacle, which was the physical dwelling place of God's Spirit in the midst of the people of Israel.
The Tabernacle
When the Lord gave Moses the plan of the Tabernacle on Mount Sanai, He admonished Moses to follow His specifications in its construction to the letter (Exodus 25:1-9). The Tabernacle was more than just a place to worship while in the wilderness. Its design and layout was a shadow of the redemptive work of Jesus, as well as a pattern of the salvation experienced in the present church age. There was only one entrance into the courtyard of the Tabernacle. Likewise, there is also only one way of salvation--through Jesus Christ (John 10:9).
Inside the courtyard was the brazen altar, the brazen laver, and the Tabernacle itself. The Tabernacle consisted of the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. These two rooms were separated by a veil of blue, purple, and scarlet. In the Holy Place was the golden candlestick, the table of showbread, and the altar of incense. In the Holy of Holies was the Ark of the Covenant. There abode the Spirit of God between two golden cherubims located on the lid of the ark, which was call the Mercy Seat. Of course, God is omnipresent, or present everywhere, but He manifested His glory there to show His covenant relationship with Israel. God has always desired to dwell with His people, but sin has always separated humanity from God. From the Day of Pentecost, fifty days after the death of Christ, God has dwelt in the hearts of His people in a new and wonderful way. "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (I Corinthians 3:16)