Out Of The Land Of Slavery

Deuteronomy 5:3-6 – It was not with our ancestors that the Lord made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today. The Lord spoke to you face to face out of the fire on the mountain. (At that time I stood between the Lord and you to declare to you the word of the Lord, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain.) And he said: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

Exodus 20:2-7,9-10,12-14,17,19-20 – “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name…Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns…“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. “You shall not murder. “You shall not commit adultery…“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”

Leviticus 26:1 – “‘Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 6:4 – Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

Psalm 81:10 – I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

Jeremiah 16:2 – “You must not marry and have sons or daughters in this place.”

Application:

• ·         The Israelites request a mediator to stand between them and God, a role fulfilled by Moses and subsequently by priests, prophets and kings—and ultimately by Jesus Christ.
• ·         Do not think that God’s display of His majesty is intended simply to fill you with abject fear. He has come to enter into covenant with you as your heavenly King.
• ·         Worshiping God in any material form is forbidden.
• ·         Israel could live serenely in the knowledge that all things and all times were under the rule of one divine King, whose ways are righteous and whose purpose with her and through her is salvation for humankind—from sin and judgment and every evil that has burdened human life.
• ·         Trust in the Lord alone for all of life’s needs.
• ·         As God’s subjects, His covenant people are to render complete submission, allegiance and obedience to Him out of gratitude for His mercies, reverence for His sovereignty, and trust in His continuing care.
• ·         No deity, real or imagined, is to rival the one true God in Israel’s heart and life.
• ·         Because God has no visible form, any idol intended to resemble Him would be a sinful misrepresentation of Him. Since other gods are not to be worshiped, making idols of them would be equally sinful.
• ·         The “jealousy” of God (1) demands exclusive devotion to God, (2) delivers to judgment all who oppose God and (3) vindicates God’s people.
• ·         We are not to misuse the name of the Lord, by profaning God’s name—e.g., by swearing falsely by it, as on the witness stand in court.
• ·         Two reasons are given for not doing any work on the Sabbath: (1) Having completed His work of creation God “rested on the seventh day”, and the Israelites are to observe the same pattern in their service of God in the creation; (2) the Israelites must cease all labor so that their servants can also participate in the Sabbath-rest—just as God had delivered His people from the burden of slavery in Egypt.
• ·         Honoring those in authority is essential for social stability.
• ·         The Hebrew for murder usually refers to a premeditated and deliberate act.
• ·         Adultery is a sin “against God” as well as against the marriage partner.
• ·         Covet means desire something with evil motivation. To break God’s commandments inwardly is equivalent to breaking them outwardly.
• ·         Jeremiah’s ministry was such that he had to face life alone, without the comfort and support a family can provide.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV