Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20100418.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Exodus: God's Forming The Nation Israel For His Abrahamic Covenant
Part II: God's Forming Israel To Heed Him, Exodus 15:22-40:38
I. God's Signaling His Blessings Based On Man's Following His Word
(Exodus 24:1-11 with Leviticus 10:1-3)
    Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

    All last week, I was deluged by reports of disorder and unrest.:

    (1) I read in The Wall Street Journal, April 12, 2010, p. A 18, a letter to the editor by Paul Koning of New Boston, New Hampshire who responded to James LeMunyon's April 1 op-ed, "A Constitutional Convention Can Rein in Washington" calling for a national convention for "constitutional reform . . . to halt the growth of federal power."

    Koning's response to this article, typical of the frustration many feel, asserted: "(N)one of the branches of the federal government takes the Constitution seriously . . . [so] why should we expect it to pay any greater attention to the Constitution as amended by a convention?"

    (2) On page A 19, an article by Edwin J. Feulner and Michael A. Needham ("New Fangs for the Conservative 'Beast'") lamented how "promises" by political candidates "which tend to be almost universally conservative, even among the most 'progressive' politicians" are often ignored by the newly elected officials once they go to Washington!

    (3) The Seattle Times on April 14, 2010 ("Tea-party idea in Oklahoma: Form a militia", seattletimes.nwsource.com) reported some members of "the Oklahoma Legislature say they would like to create a volunteer militia to help defend against . . . federal infringements on state sovereignty . . . such as the recently enacted health-care law . . . "

    A member of our Church expressed concern to me about this!

    (4) However, issues of disorder and unrest affect us locally, too:

    (a) On Sunday and Monday, my wife and I heard six different believers tell us of issues of disorder and unrest in their lives!

    (b) Tuesday, I heard local radio talk show host, Brad Davis read on air an e-mail message he received claiming that since he had not said President Obama was a communist, the FCC czar had muzzled Brad! Mr. Davis expressed shock, and denounced the charge!

    (c) On Friday, an 86-year-old, church-attending lady we did not know called to express her dismay to my wife that "President Obama has cancelled the National Day of Prayer!"

    Actually, a Wisconsin judge last week ruled the observance to be unconstitutional for government entities, and the President cancelled its celebration in the White House. However, American presidents have observed the day since the 1700s, so many are upset over it all!

    Thus, we may ask, "If an unusual amount of disorder and unrest arises, how is one supposed to handle it, and why?!"

    Need: "If a nation, group or person experiences significant disorder and unrest, how is he supposed to handle it, and why?!"

  1. Exodus 24:1-11 is a picture of great ORDERLY PEACE for Israel BASED UPON Israel's choice to FOLLOW GOD in OBEDIENCE:
    1. After God gave Israel the Ten Commandments and its explanatory "Book of the Covenant," Exodus 24:1-18 records the ratification ceremony where God and Israel entered into a covenant relationship.
    2. Israel agreed to heed all of God's laws (Exodus 24:3), so the covenant was sealed by offerings (Exodus 24:4-5), and the sacrificial blood was applied first to the altar and then to the people, Ex. 24:6-8.
    3. The covenant was then accepted by both Israel AND GOD as signaled in God's revealing His GLORY to Israel's elders, and of their eating in GOD'S GLORIOUS PRESENCE on Mount Sinai in great ORDERLY PEACE, Exodus 24:1-2, 9-11:
      1. In the Ancient Near East, meals implied for those involved special relationships because the HOST was "obligated to protect his guests against enemies," Zon. Pic. Enc. of the Bib., v. Four, p. 144.
      2. Israel's leaders represented the nation, so their eating a meal in God's presence on Mount Sinai signified HE had ENTERED into a COVENANT RELATION with ISRAEL where He would PROTECT and BLESS her since she agreed to HEED Him!
  2. However, Exodus 24:11a suggests this ORDERLY PEACE for the elders did not always exist, and Leviticus 10:1-2 tells how two of the men in the Exodus 24 event later FAILED to FOLLOW GOD'S WORD, they experienced God's DEVASTATING JUDGMENT:
    1. A striking phrase appears in the Exodus 24 context at Exodus 24:11a NIV: "But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites." It suggests that God may have hurt them at another time!
    2. Indeed, God did later slay some of these men while they served Him:
      1. Two of the men present at the Exodus 24:1-11 covenant meal who were specifically named by God to be in attendance were Aaron's two eldest sons, Nadab and Abihu, Exodus 24:1, 8; Exodus 6:23.
      2. However, though they enjoyed God's full acceptance in eating in His glorious presence on Mount Sinai (Ex. 24:10-11), and at that time they were not harmed (Ex. 24:11a), in Leviticus 10:1-2, God executed Nadab and Abihu by fire with devastating judgment!
  3. Viewing the Leviticus 10 context reveals the CAUSE for this divine judgment was a SHIFT by these men from FOLLOWING GOD'S WORD back in Exodus 24 to ACTING INDEPENDENT OF GOD'S WORD in Leviticus 10 (as follows):
    1. Leviticus 10:1 reports that Nadab and Abihu each took a censer and put coals of fire in it, and added incense to the fire to offer "strange" (KJV) or "unauthorized" (NIV, ESV) "fire" before the Lord.
    2. The Scripture text does not state the details of all that was involved in this event although the context may offer us some clues (as follows):
      1. Just before their Leviticus 10:1 sin, Nadab and Abihu along with the nation had seen God miraculously ignite the sacrifice on the altar in the inauguration of the Aaronic priesthood, Lev. 9:23-24a.
      2. This event so impressed the people that they shouted at God's clear acceptance of the offering and the new Aaronic priesthood (Lev. 8-9), and fell on their faces to worship the Lord, Leviticus 9:24b.
      3. Possibly desiring to use the event to garner fame for themselves as newly established priests, Nadab and Abihu may have taken up and filled their censers with coals and incense to direct the attention of the nation to themselves that Israel might look upon them in awe!
      4. However, such an event would only detract from the glory that was due to God, for He ALONE had miraculously ignited the sacrifice!
      5. Some hold that God's prohibition against drunkenness on the part of the priests who serve that follows so closely after this event in Leviticus 10:9 implies the brothers were emboldened to initiate their deed because they were drunk, Ibid., Z. P. E. B., p. 354!
    3. Regardless of the details involved, Leviticus 10:1c reveals that the sin involved acting INDEPENDENT of GOD'S WORD, leading to SERVICE that in some way MISREPRESENTED GOD to ISRAEL (Leviticus 10:3), so GOD judged the men HARSHLY to PROTECT His OWN REPUTATION before the PEOPLE!
Application: For orderly peace in living, (1) may we FOLLOW the DIRECTIVES of Scripture by trusting in Christ for salvation, Acts 17:30 with John 3:16. (2) Then, may we (a) FOLLOW Scripture's LEAD, (b) NOT acting INDEPENDENT of it, (c) that we might experience God's BLESSING of ORDER and PEACE in our lives!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

 A key application of this message addresses the concerns many believers express about today's unsettling political scene (as follows):

(1) First, FOLLOWING Scripture leads us not to be insurrectionists, but to submit to our secular rulers: when asked by Pilate if He was the King of the Jews in John 18:33, Jesus clarified that though He was that King (John 18:37a), His kingdom was not of this world as to its origin or His disciples would fight, John 18:36. (Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1078 ed., ftn. to John 18:36) Thus, Jesus revealed He was not fomenting an insurrection against the government!

Pilate was so satisfied by this clarification that Jesus was not a political threat, he later even tried to release Him, John 18:38; 19:12a.

Thus, if we follow Scripture instead of acting independent of it like our sermon directs, we learn God wants us to be subject as law-abiding citizens to whatever government power rules us, that we are NOT to rise up in lawless revolt against it! We must treat the ruler as "the minister of God", Romans 13:1-5!

(2) Second, 1 Timothy 2:1-4 calls us to pray for our secular rulers that they might function in ways that let us live a peaceable existence that the Church might effectively disciple the world.

(3) Third, God has promised for our era to give great influence to godly Church leaders over even secular realms: as you recall from our past lessons on Revelation 3:14-22, a passage I am convinced is God's message to believers in our era of Church History, it promises at Revelation 3:21 that God will give the messenger in the local church who overcomes the world as He did (John 16:33) typological rule on His earthly, messianic throne! A related promise in Revelation 2:26-27 in view of its 16th century fulfillment (in Martin Luther's era) implies great influence over religious and secular entities! Yet, such a blessing must come as God's gift, not by our insurrection against the secular powers that exist!



So, to enjoy ORDERLY PEACE in our lives, may we trust in Christ as Savior from sin, and FOLLOW -- NOT ACT INDEPENDENTLY of -- SCRIPTURE! Then the God of peace and order will be with us in our experience, cf. Philippians 4:9.