The Big Story: God Forms a Covenant Nation


The Big Story of the Bible is about God's mission to save the world.  The biggest, most important story about this mission in the Old Testament is the exodus. The book of Exodus tells us about God's mission to save Israel from slavery in Egypt, and to use it as his vehicle to save the world.  

God called Moses to be his instrument of deliverance.  He used him to send a series of plagues against Egypt.  It was God against Pharaoh, who thought of himself as a god!  After the tenth plague, in which God put to death the first born of the Egyptians, Pharaoh let the Israelites go.  The Israelites packed up quickly and headed toward the Sinai Desert.  

When Pharaoh changed his mind and tried to pursue them, God parted the sea for his people, but closed it on the Egyptian army, destroying it.

The Lord provided for Israel as it made its journey to Sinai, the mountain of God.  When they got there, God reminded them that he had saved them and brought them safely to him.  Now, he was going to form a covenant with them, in which they would become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.  They would be his vehicle for revealing himself to the world and saving it.  (Exodus 19:1-6)

Then, something like a wedding ceremony ensued.  God vowed to be their God and to take care of them as long as they obeyed his commands.  The Israelites promised to obey God and to worship him alone.  

Amid the covenant story, Exodus begins its presentation of God's law.  The first laws presented are what we call "The Ten Commandments," which is a distillation of God's law.  In subsequent chapters, the book gives a more extensive presentation of the law, which includes the tokens of God's covenant with Israel.  These tokens included the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant. 

The covenant God made with Israel on Mt. Sinai is important to us Christ followers for at least two reasons.  First, it established Israel as God's covenant people, as his means for saving the world.  Though Israel was imperfect, it would teach the world about God, and from her would come the Savior, Jesus Christ.  Second, it taught us right from wrong, preparing us for Christ (See Galatians 4:1-5)

As God did with Israel, he saves us and calls us to a way of obedience.  We're saved by receiving the gift of Christ's sacrifice for us.  Our way of obedience is following Christ, doing the things he did, saying the things he said, and loving the people he loved.


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