Rightly dividing the Word of Truth. 12
Rightly dividing the Word of Truth
This is part 12 in a series of 53 articles about RIGHTLY DIVIDING GOD’S WORD OF TRUTH. All scripture quoted will be from the King James Bible.
In part 12, we continue with the marriage of God to Israel.
In Exodus 19 we find God’s marriage proposal to Israel: Exodus 19:1-6: 1In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. 2 For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount. 3 And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; 4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. 5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: 6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.Was God’s proposal accepted?
Exodus 19:7-9: 7And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him. 8 And all the people answered together, and said, all that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD. 9 And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee, forever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.
The proposal was accepted. Now the bride, the children of Israel, had to be prepared for the wedding. Exodus 19:10-11: 10And the LORD said unto Moses, go unto the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes, 11 And be ready against the third day: for the third day, the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.
When God came down to mount Sinai He gave the bride the contract or agreement for the marriage. This consisted of the Ten Commandments, the statutes and the judgments.
Please note that the agreement we read in Exodus 19 was a conditional agreement dependent upon Israel’s behavior. God says that the children of Israel are a stiff-necked people for the marriage had only just begun when they went astray, Exodus 32:9: 9 And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiff -necked people:
Even though God knew the Israelites were a stiff-necked people, He still chose them to be a special people unto Himself, but why?
In part 13, in the book of Deuteronomy, we will discover why God chose Israel to be a holy and special people.
To be continued