3/2/25 Weekly Bible Lesson: Bound by Love

Background —  

Not long after God, through Moses, led the Hebrew children out of Egypt, a long tedious journey to the Promised Land began. All things appeared to be good, so the people expected to be settled soon. Like any trip or move, preparations had to be made. There was a freedom none of these people had ever experienced, and they took full advantage of it, disobeying God time after time, and the eleven-day journey took forty years to complete. 

In our text, we find the nation of Israel camped at the foot of Mt. Sinai. It would be the beginning of God’s covenant relationship with His people. A covenant is a binding legal agreement or contract. In the Bible, it refers to transactions in a wide variety of contexts, including personal (Genesis 31:44), familial (1 Samuel 20:16), business (Jeremiah 34:8-10), and international settings (Joshua 9:6). 

Verses 3-6 — When God does a work, it is powerful and majestic. When God chooses a leader, He doesn’t make a mistake. He called Moses to the mountain and instructed him to tell the people that if they obeyed His word, they would be His special treasure, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. In the ancient Near East, a king was a treasured possession of his own god. He was personally chosen, blessed, and protected by that deity. Israel was to be Yahweh’s treasured possession, serving God as a nation of priests. 

Forty years later, when Israel finally entered the Promised Land, Moses repeats these words in Deuteronomy 14:2: “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” 

It is instructive that Peter uses this same language to describe the church, i.e., a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people (1 Peter 2:9). We are truly set apart for His purpose.  

How does knowing we are God’s special people impact our day-to-day lives? 

Verses 7-9 — Freedom was still new to the Israelites. They anticipated a land of their own, and quickly announced they would do anything God wanted. Moses told the elders what God had said to him, and they were to communicate this to the rest of the people. 

In Deuteronomy 5:28-29, it says, “Then the Lord heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me: ‘I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken. Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!’” 

In Psalm 19:7-9, David reminds us of that the word of God brings completeness to His covenant people. The Law of the Lord, the testimony, the statutes, the commandments, the fear, and the judgments are perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, and true. This sure word was to guide and direct them daily. 

In what ways does God’s perfect word guide our lives? 

Verses 10-11 — God, in a dense black cloud, got the attention of the people. The thick black cloud was the signal God was speaking. 

When God moves to fulfill His promises, He expects us to be ready. They believed in Him, they walked with Him, and they trusted Him. He expects us to be prepared for the coming commands. To be ready to receive His word, we must be undistracted, must be cleansed in our hearts, and must be committed to steadfast obedience. 

Peter provides a similar admonition in 1 Peter 1:13: “Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 

Be ready. Don’t be caught unprepared. The Israelites had three days to consecrate themselves and be ready to receive God’s word. We, too, must daily consecrate ourselves to receive and do His word. 

Verses 12-14 — Moses was still under the authority of God, and he was commanded to instruct the people: “Don’t come near the mountain. Don’t touch the base of the mountain.” What’s the big deal? It’s just a mountain! It reminds us of Adam in the Garden of Eden: “Do not eat of the tree that is in the middle of the garden” Again, what’s the big deal? It’s just another tree. 

It was no more than a simple test of obedience. Would Israel obey in the little things? If you disobey the littlest of things, you will disobey the biggest of things. The message was clear to Moses and the Israelites: God was present, and He set boundaries so that worship would not be defiled. 

In all these things, God was not a bully, ordering Israel around just to exercise His power. Rather, God knew what was best for them and He knows what is best for us. In His word are commands for our good. 

Do we recognize God as the holy and all-powerful sovereign, and do we acknowledge His word is given to us for our good?