Transcript [00:06] It's great to be in the house of the [00:08] Lord, is it not? With each and every one [00:11] of us and in the presence of the Lord [00:13] most importantly. Praise God. Lord, help [00:15] me as I proclaim your word tonight. May [00:18] it be clear as crystal. May our hearts [00:22] be ready, our ears ready to hear the [00:26] word. May your spirit speak through me [00:30] that you might get the glory and the [00:31] honor and your truth is proclaimed. I [00:34] pray in Yeshua's name. Amen. Amen. Well, [00:39] we're in this series, the covenant [00:41] table. And I get the privilege of [00:44] preaching from Exodus chapter 24. And [00:47] you're going to see why I'm excited [00:48] about that. So, would you please turn to [00:50] Exodus chapter 24? [00:54] Jonathan Saxs was this great [00:58] chief rabbi of Great Britain. He died [01:00] several years ago, but a great teacher [01:04] of the Bible. And he said this, "The [01:07] Torah is more than a constitution and a [01:10] code of laws, more than a set of [01:12] instructions or even the metaphysical [01:14] DNA of the universe. It is a marriage [01:17] contra contract, a token and gesture of [01:21] love. Marriage is of its essence more [01:25] than a dis dispassionate set of [01:27] obligations and rights. It is the law [01:30] suffused with love and love translated [01:34] into law. That according to this [01:37] metaphor is what the Sinai event was. Of [01:41] all the metaphors that describe our [01:43] relationship with God, we're a temple, [01:46] where his body, we're his flock. The [01:48] most intimate of metaphors is this one [01:52] that God is our husband and we are his [01:55] bride. [01:57] Isaiah 54:5 says, "For your maker is [02:00] your husband, the Lord of hosts is his [02:02] name." This is why observant Jewish men [02:06] every weekday morning wind the strap of [02:08] their teilin around their finger like a [02:11] wedding ring and they recite these words [02:14] from Hosea. Listen to this. I will [02:16] betroth you to me forever. I will [02:18] betroth you to me in righteousness and [02:20] in justice, in steadfast love and in [02:23] mercy. I will betroth you to me in [02:25] faithfulness and you shall know the [02:29] Lord. [02:30] So Jewish people who are religious and [02:33] believe in the word of God renew their [02:36] marriage vows to the Lord every day. [02:39] Now we come to chapter 24 of Exodus and [02:43] we're going to see how our relationship [02:45] to God should be that very thing, a [02:48] marriage. [02:51] This may be the most important chapter [02:52] in the Old Testament that you've never [02:54] really studied. [02:56] And it's not about rules. It's more [02:58] about romance. It's a wedding ceremony [03:00] between God and Israel. So let me read [03:02] from this passage beginning at verse [03:04] one. [03:06] Then he said to Moses, "Come up to the [03:08] Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, [03:11] and 70 of the elders of Israel, and [03:14] worship from afar." Moses alone shall [03:17] come near to the Lord, but the others [03:18] shall not come near, and the people [03:21] shall not come up with him." Moses came [03:24] and told the people all the words of the [03:25] Lord and all the rules. And all the [03:27] people answered with one voice and said, [03:30] "All the words that the Lord has spoken, [03:33] we will do." And Moses wrote down all [03:36] the words of the Lord. He rose early in [03:39] the morning and built an altar at the [03:40] foot of the mountain and 12 pillars [03:43] according to the 12 tribes of Israel. [03:46] And he sent young men of the people of [03:48] Israel who offered burnt offerings and [03:50] sacrificed peace offerings of the oxen [03:53] to the Lord. And Moses took half of the [03:56] blood and put it in basins. And half of [03:58] the blood he threw against the altar. [04:01] Then he took the book of the covenant [04:02] and read it in the hearing of the [04:04] people. And they said, "All that the [04:07] Lord has spoken, we will do and we will [04:10] be obedient." And Moses took the blood [04:13] and threw it at the people or on the [04:16] people and said, "Behold, the blood of [04:18] the covenant that the Lord has made with [04:20] you in accordance with all these words." [04:22] Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, [04:25] and 70 elders of Israel went up, and [04:28] they saw the God of Israel. There was [04:31] under his feet, as it were, a pavement [04:33] of sapphire stone, like the very heaven [04:37] for clearness, and he did not lay his [04:40] hand on the chief men of the people of [04:42] Israel. They beheld God, [04:46] and they ate and drank. They beheld God, [04:48] and they ate and drank. Before we dive [04:53] in, we need to understand the word [04:54] covenant. In case you don't know what it [04:56] means, we hear covenant and we think of [04:58] contract, like signing a lease for your [05:01] apartment or the purchase of a vehicle. [05:04] But in the ancient world, a covenant was [05:06] completely different. A covenant is [05:09] about people. It binds two parties [05:11] together, often tighter than a blood [05:14] family. Here's the key. You don't sign a [05:18] covenant, you cut a covenant. Animals [05:21] are slaughtered. Blood is shed. It's [05:24] life or death. The closest thing we have [05:27] today is marriage. For better, for [05:29] worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness [05:32] and in health, till death do us part. [05:35] That's what we're looking here at e in [05:38] Exodus 24. It's a wedding. The God of [05:41] the universe is getting married to a [05:42] ragtag group of refugees, former slaves. [05:48] Let's walk through it. There are five [05:49] movements to this marriage like five [05:52] parts of a wedding ceremony. First of [05:55] all, it's the proposal. [05:58] We read this in verses 1 and two. Then [06:00] he said to Moses, "Come up to the Lord, [06:02] you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the [06:05] 70 of the elders of Israel, and worship [06:07] from afar. Moses alone shall come near [06:10] to the Lord, but the others shall not [06:12] come near, and the people shall not come [06:14] up with him." Picture this. You're [06:17] standing at the base of Mount Si. The [06:20] ground is shaking. The air smells like [06:22] smoke and ozone. Uh the peak of this [06:25] mountain is wrapped in a cloud so thick [06:27] it looks like a furnace is exploding [06:29] inside of it. There's lightning. There's [06:31] thunder. There's a trumpet blast so loud [06:34] that the people are trembling. The [06:37] message was very clear. Touch this [06:39] mountain and you die. [06:42] And yet in the midst of all this danger, [06:45] God issues an invitation. [06:47] Come up here. [06:49] Whoa. And here's what's remarkable. God [06:52] doesn't wait for Israel to find him. He [06:54] comes down to Mount Si and makes this [06:58] invitation. The great medieval rabbi [07:01] Rashi comments on Deuteronomy 33 and [07:04] verse two. And he says, "He that is God [07:07] went out toward them when they came to [07:09] stand at the bottom of the mountain like [07:12] a groom who goes out to greet the [07:14] bride." Like a groom going out to meet [07:17] his bride. God is the initiator. He [07:21] pursues. He proposes. [07:24] And that's grace. [07:26] Grace on top of grace. [07:30] Exodus 19:es 4-6 says, "You yourselves [07:33] have seen what I did to the Egyptians [07:34] and how I bore you on eagle's wings and [07:37] brought you to myself. Now therefore, if [07:40] you will indeed obey my voice and keep [07:42] my covenant, you shall be my treasured [07:45] possession among all peoples." [07:49] My treasured possession. The Hebrew is [07:51] sigula. It is an endearing bridal kind [07:54] of language. You Israel are uniquely [07:57] precious to me. Now will you be mine? [08:02] That's the proposal. [08:04] And then we have what's called the [08:06] ketubim or ketuba. [08:08] And uh we read this in Exodus 24:3 at [08:12] the beginning. Moses came and told the [08:14] people all the words of the Lord and all [08:16] the rules. In Jewish tradition, no [08:19] couple lives together without a ketuba, [08:22] a marriage contract. Uh the Talmud says [08:25] the difference between a wife and a [08:27] concubine is that a wife has a ketuba. [08:31] It has something in writing. [08:33] The ketuba spelled out the husband's [08:36] obligations and that included food, [08:39] clothing, [08:42] conjugal rights, [08:44] protection for the bride. And here in [08:47] Exodus 24, Moses presents God's ketuba, [08:51] the words of the Lord, the rules, the [08:53] terms of this relationship, including [08:55] all the fine print. [08:59] Here in Exodus 24, Moses [09:02] is helping Israel understand it's not [09:05] just about the law, [09:09] not just about the rules, it's about [09:11] relationship. [09:13] Earlier in Exodus 6, God had already [09:15] declared his Ketuba obligations. [09:18] Seven times he says,"I will listen to [09:21] this." I will bring you out. I will [09:25] deliver you. I will redeem you. I will [09:28] take you to be my people. I will be your [09:30] God. I will bring you into the land. I [09:33] will give it to you for a possession. [09:37] Seven promises, all grace, all his [09:40] initiative. God commits himself before [09:43] asking anything in return from his [09:46] potential bride. [09:50] That's how a good groom operates. He [09:52] doesn't say to his potential bride, [09:53] "Prove yourself first." He says, "Here's [09:55] what I'm bringing to this marriage." [09:58] But what's he expecting back from that [10:01] bride? [10:02] When he keeps saying, "I will," would he [10:04] not expect her to say, "I will?" [10:07] When the bride says, "I do." Look at [10:09] this. Exodus 24:3 and 7. And all the [10:13] people answered with one voice and said, [10:16] "All the words that the Lord has spoken, [10:18] we will do." Then verse 7, "And they [10:22] said, all that the Lord has spoken, we [10:24] will do, and we will be obedient." [10:28] Notice the people say yes to his [10:31] proposal twice. [10:33] First after Moses speaks the words [10:35] orally and then again after he reads the [10:38] written document that he [10:42] wrote down. It's like a lawyer saying, [10:44] "Do you understand these terms? Are you [10:46] absolutely sure?" And they double down. [10:48] We do and we will obey. [10:52] This is stunning. Think about where they [10:54] just came from. Egypt, slavery. When [10:56] Pharaoh said, "Make more bricks." Could [10:59] they say, "Let me review the terms and [11:01] get back to you?" [11:03] Of course not. Slavery is the removal of [11:06] choice. [11:07] Covenant is the restoration of choice. [11:10] God could have forced them to obey. He's [11:12] the creator. Instead, he asks for their [11:14] consent. [11:16] The Talmud confirms this principle. In [11:18] all cases, the wife can only be acquired [11:21] with her consent. [11:23] Israel's we will do is the I do of this [11:27] wedding. [11:28] Israel consents [11:30] to his proposal. [11:33] Now we come to this next point, the [11:35] ceremony. Reading from verses 4 and [11:38] following. And Moses wrote down all the [11:40] words of the Lord. He rose early in the [11:43] morning and built an altar at the foot [11:44] of the mountain and 12 pillars according [11:46] to the 12 tribes of Israel. And he sent [11:49] young men of the people of Israel who [11:51] offered burnt offerings and sacrificed [11:53] peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. And [11:57] Moses took half of the blood and put it [11:59] in the basins, and half of the blood he [12:01] threw against the altar. Then he took [12:03] the book of the covenant and read it in [12:04] the hearing of the people. And they [12:06] said, "All that the Lord has spoken, we [12:08] will do, and we will be obedient." And [12:10] Moses took the blood and threw it on the [12:13] people and said, "Behold, the blood of [12:15] the covenant that the Lord has made with [12:17] you in accordance with all these words." [12:21] This is the heart of the wedding [12:23] ceremony and it is bloody. Moses builds [12:28] an altar which represents God. He sets [12:31] up 12 stone pillars which represents the [12:34] 12 tribes of Israel, represents all of [12:36] Israel. These two parties of the [12:38] covenant are facing each other. Then the [12:41] animals are sacrificed and Moses does [12:44] something striking. He takes the blood [12:46] and he divides it. Half goes against the [12:48] altar. He throws the blood against the [12:50] altar and half he throws on the people. [12:54] Same blood on both parties. God and [12:57] Israel now share one life. You know that [13:00] life is in the blood. And so the life of [13:04] God and the life of the people are [13:06] joined together as one. [13:11] There's also something darker here. In [13:13] the ancient world, you didn't sign a [13:14] covenant. You cut one. animals were [13:16] slaughtered and both parties would walk [13:19] between the pieces of these cut pieces [13:21] of meat. [13:23] And what's the symbolism? It is if I [13:26] break this covenant, may what happened [13:28] to these animals happen to me? [13:32] It's called the self maladictory oath. [13:35] It is a condition conditional curse. [13:37] When that blood hit their clothes, it [13:39] wasn't just a blessing. It was a [13:41] warning. And then Moses shouts the words [13:44] that echo through history. [13:47] Behold the blood of the covenant that [13:50] the Lord has made with you. Now, fast [13:53] forward 1500 years. In an upper room in [13:57] Jerusalem, Yeshua at a table with his [13:59] disciples, he lifts up a cup and he [14:01] says, "This is the blood, [14:06] my blood of the covenant." He says [14:09] exactly these words in Matthew 26:27 and [14:12] 28. Drink of it all of you, for this is [14:15] my blood of the covenant which is poured [14:17] out for many for the forgiveness of [14:19] sins. [14:21] Blood of the covenant. [14:23] Any Jew at that table would have [14:25] recognized it instantly. Wait, Moses [14:27] said that at Si. But Yeshua isn't just [14:30] quoting Moses. He is fulfilling [14:33] Moses. There are three radical shifts [14:37] that Yeshua makes concerning this matter [14:40] of blood and covenant. The first is this [14:43] substance. Moses used the blood of oxen. [14:47] Yeshua says this is my blood. He himself [14:50] now is the sacrifice and he's the final [14:53] sacrifice. Second, the application the [14:56] at Sinai blood was thrown on the people. [14:59] It's external. Yeshua says drink this. [15:04] It's e internal. The covenant goes [15:06] inside. [15:08] Just as Jeremiah prophesied in Jeremiah [15:10] 31:33, [15:12] I will put my law within them and I will [15:15] write it on their hearts. [15:19] The upgrade in the new covenant from [15:22] external tablets to internal [15:24] transformation. That's what we're seeing [15:25] here. And then third, radical [15:30] upgrade or transformation. The [15:32] invitation at Sinai, only 74 leaders [15:36] went up the mountain. Yeshua says, [15:38] "Drink of it, all of you." The guest [15:41] list has just exploded. It's not just [15:43] for Moses and Aaron anymore. It's for [15:45] fishermen. It's for tax collectors. And [15:48] it's for people like you and me. [15:51] And Yeshua takes the curse. He takes the [15:54] cut. And he says, "I will be the [15:56] sacrifice. Now you drink the cup of my [16:00] blood. [16:03] And the fifth point is this, the [16:04] celebration. [16:06] Exodus 24:es 9-11. Then Moses and Aaron, [16:09] Naab and Abihoo and the 70 of the elders [16:14] went up and they saw the God of Israel. [16:17] There was under his feet as it were a [16:18] pavement of sapphire stone like the very [16:21] heaven for clearness. And he did not lay [16:23] his hand on the chief men of the people [16:26] of Israel. They beheld God and ate and [16:30] drank. [16:32] The covenant has been sealed. The blood [16:34] applied. And now the invitation is to [16:36] climb [16:38] up to God. These 74 leaders ascend into [16:42] a danger zone, into the thunder and [16:45] fire. It should be death for them. But [16:48] then verse 10 drops like a bombshell. [16:51] They saw the God of Israel. Wow. But [16:56] notice what's described. Not his face, [16:58] not his form. They describe what's under [17:00] his feet. There's a pavement of sapphire [17:03] stone, clear as heaven itself. It's a [17:06] blue color, a deep blue. [17:10] Speaking of heaven above the blue. [17:14] Here's what's getting stunning here is [17:16] the Hebrew phrase here for a pavement of [17:19] sapphire is leave [17:22] in Hebrew. [17:23] The word leave not shares a root with [17:26] leva which means brick. Think back. What [17:30] were the Israelites doing in Egypt for [17:31] 400 years? Making mud bricks. That was [17:34] their slavery, their misery, their [17:36] tears. Now they look up at God's floor [17:40] and they see bricks but not made of mud [17:43] but of blue sapphire. [17:46] The ancient Targum, the Aramaic [17:49] translation of the Old Testament says, [17:51] "God kept a symbol of their slavery [17:54] before his throne the whole time they [17:56] suffered. He saw every brick they had [17:58] made. He felt every lash of the whip. [18:02] And now that symbol of slavery has been [18:05] transfigured. Mud becomes sapphire. [18:07] Tears become glory. From the mud pits of [18:11] Egypt to the transparent clarity of [18:13] heaven, that's how redemption works. God [18:15] takes something bad and he makes it [18:17] beautiful. [18:19] God says to them, "I was with you in the [18:22] mud and now you are with me in the blue [18:25] of the heavens." [18:27] Nothing is wasted in God's economy. Your [18:30] darkest moments can become the very [18:32] foundation of your testimony. [18:35] The text says he did not lay his hand on [18:39] them. [18:41] In the natural, he would lay his hand on [18:44] them. He would [18:46] kill them for coming up and getting [18:49] close to him on that mountain. [18:53] But the blood has been shed. The way has [18:56] been opened. [18:58] The invitation has gone. He's proposed [19:00] to them [19:02] their hand in marriage. [19:06] Because of the blood, the hand of [19:08] judgment is stayed. They are safe. They [19:10] are accepted. And what did they do? They [19:13] ate a meal. They beheld God and ate and [19:18] drank. This is reminiscent of a of the [19:21] seodat nisuin, a wedding feast. And in [19:24] Jewish tradition, it is a mitzvah. It is [19:26] a rule that you must rejoice and [19:29] celebrate the wedding. Ancient wedding [19:32] feast lasted seven days. [19:36] And here they are. They're eating the [19:37] roasted meat of those peace offerings. [19:39] And this is the covenant meal. And the [19:42] goal of the covenant isn't rules, it's [19:44] relationship. God saved them so he could [19:46] have table fellowship with them. [19:51] Yeshua Yeshua claimed this identity [19:53] explicitly explicitly. Matthew 9 14- 15 [19:58] says this. Then the disciples of John [20:00] came to him saying, "Why do we and the [20:02] Pharisees fast, but your disciples do [20:05] not fast?" And Yeshua said to them, "Can [20:08] the wedding guests mourn as long as the [20:10] bridegroom is with them? When Yeshua is [20:14] present, it is time to feast, not fast." [20:17] And in the upper room, he makes this [20:19] promise. [20:20] Matthew 26:29, "I tell you, I will not [20:23] drink again of this fruit of the vine [20:25] until that day when I drink it a new [20:28] with you in my father's kingdom." He's [20:32] saying, "Our betroal is sealed. I'm [20:34] going up to prepare a place for you, my [20:37] bride, [20:38] and the wedding feast is coming. And [20:40] I'll drink it with you again at that [20:42] final [20:44] culmination of our wedding, the final [20:47] celebration. [20:49] And that brings us to the end of the [20:51] story in Revelation 19 [20:54] verse 7 to9. Let us rejoice and exalt [20:57] and give him the glory for the marriage [20:59] of the lamb has come and his bride has [21:02] made herself ready. It was granted to [21:04] her to clothe herself with fine linen, [21:06] bright and pure. For the fine linen is [21:09] the righteous deeds of the saints. And [21:12] the angel said to me, "Write this. [21:14] Blessed are those who are invited to the [21:17] marriage supper of the Lamb." This is [21:21] it. This is the climax of human history. [21:23] The bride, us, believers, followers of [21:27] Yeshua. [21:29] We've made ourselves ready. The wedding [21:31] is to be consummated. God and humanity [21:33] will dwell together forever. [21:38] Are you prepared to meet your [21:39] bridegroom? He is coming soon. Just as [21:43] God came down to Mount Si to meet his [21:46] bride, Yeshua is coming down from heaven [21:49] to meet you and me. We need to get [21:52] ourselves ready [21:54] to live in purity and holiness worthy of [21:58] our king [22:00] who has offered us marriage. [22:04] In a few m moments now, we're going to [22:06] come to the Lord's table. [22:08] Let's remember what he's done for us. By [22:10] his grace, we are saved. He took the [22:14] initiative. He made the proposal. [22:17] He has [22:19] desired us to be his segula, [22:23] his treasured possession. And if you've [22:25] never said yes to his proposal, this is [22:27] the night to do it. Yes, [22:31] I see you. I see your love. I see your [22:34] grace and mercy. [22:37] You're worth following. [22:40] You're worth being my bridegroom. [22:44] all of us in this room, let's prepare [22:46] our hearts before the taking of the [22:48] Lord's supper. And I ask our [22:52] servers to come and prepare to serve us [22:56] the bread and the the wine. [22:59] Lord, prepare our hearts as we come to [23:03] your table. [23:05] Thank you for your covenant. [23:07] Amen.
