Egypt to Canaan (5): Sinai and - the Character of God, the Children of Israel, Calvary, the Christian — Norman Crawford

Sinai and the Revelation of God's Character

We're reading tonight in Exodus chapter 19 of Exodus 19 in the third month when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt the same day came the end of the desert of Sinai and had pitched in the wilderness and There is real Moses went up unto God and the Lord called unto him out of the mountains saying Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob and tell the children of Israel You have seen what I did unto the Egyptians on eagles wings.

I bear you on eagles wings and Brought you if you will obey my voice indeed and keep my covenant. Then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people for all the earth is mine and he shall be unto me a kingdom of priests.

Don't speak unto the children of Israel. And Moses came and called for the elders of the people and laid before their faces commanded him and all the people answered together and said Just returned the words of the people unto the Lord.

And the Lord said unto Moses Lo I come on to thee in a thick cloud That the people may hear what I speak with thee. This is told the words of the Lord of the people unto the Lord. And the Lord said to Moses go unto the people and Sanctify them today and tomorrow and let them wash their clothes and be ready against the third day for the third day that all the people this chapter and it came to pass on the third day cloud upon the mountain and The voice of the trumpet exceeding loud so that all the people that was in the camp trembled and Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God.

And they stood at the nether part of the mount and Mount Sinai was all together on a smoke. Because the Lord descended upon it in fire and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace and the whole mount Quaked greatly.

And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long and waxed louder and louder Moses spake and God answered him by a voice. Chapter 20, please in verse 1 and God spake God which and so on look at verse 18 of this chapter all the people saw the thunderings of the trumpet and the mountain smoking.

And when the people saw it they removed and stood afar off and They said unto Moses speak thou with us unto the people fear not. For God has come to prove you and that his fear may be before your faces most difficult subject that's on this chart.

Maybe the most difficult for the preacher the meeting tonight conscious of the fact that we could repeat true things. They could be doctrinally sound they could be most correct clear as an icicle and twice as cold that the children of Israel spent pitched before the Mount Sinai.

I is without doubt one of the most important years in the history of mankind. And of course some would argue without question that there has been no year parallel to it and Yet, it's strange that sometimes such important events Can have so little effect upon us and perhaps in reading through the Chapters that deal with the time when Israel pitched before the mount Perhaps we're not greatly impressed for our souls from it.

Tonight I want to try to speak to you under four very simple headings believe that there'll be Something in it that's very practical and I hope there'll be something for our hearts. I want to think first of all of Sinai and the character of God and Then funny I and the children of Israel and Calvary took two months to come from Ramses Here in the land of Egypt to this place where they pitched before Mount Sinai.

In this journey from Egypt to Sinai it only took two months now they've come to Mount Sinai and a pitch before Mount Sinai for 11 months and five days and The period of time that Israel spent at Sinai Takes up 58 chapters in the Word of God.

From Exodus chapter 19 and verse 1 the numbers chapter 10 and verse 11 58 chapters including 27 chapters of the book of Leviticus. 58 chapters are taken up with the 11 months and five days that they spent pitch before Mount Sinai.

Now in comparison to that whenever God is describing the creation of heaven and earth He does it in 21 verses the importance of events that's given to them in Scripture. Then I would certainly say that the time that Israel spent before Mount Sinai was perhaps the most important of the history of Israel and that they spent before the month before the mount can really be divided into three sections and If it helps you to understand it, then it's worthwhile pointing it out to you.

Chapter 19 of Exodus is a section all by itself. Chapter 19 of Exodus deals with the revelation of the divine character. God revealed himself in his character of righteousness and holiness in Flexible justice a God who dwells in light the God of Israel at chapter 19.

Divine character. Now the next section that deals with this time spent before Mount Sinai runs from Exodus chapter 20 all the way to the end of the book of Leviticus to Leviticus 27 and It deals with the Constitution of Israel as a nation.

We sang tonight Lord. We are thine. But by thy blood once the poor guilty slaves of sin Thou this redeemed us to our God and made thy spirit dwell within. Israel could not have sung that God had made his spirit dwell within them, but they certainly could have sung the rest.

They were the guilty slaves of sin. They were held in bitter bondage and they were purchased by blood. They had been brought out of the land of camp of Egypt out into the wilderness and we read that remarkable statement in Exodus chapter 19 that God didn't bring them out merely.

But we read that he brought them unto himself. I think that's a remarkable statement. You know Jeremiah the Prophet must have had that in mind when by the Spirit of God he wrote those words That Israel went after God in the wilderness.

It was God that they went to seek out into that barren desert where there was nothing for nature. There they learned God. Now the third section of this time that was spent before the mount Is from the beginning of the book of Numbers? to the end of the 10th verse of the 10th chapter and That deals with the preparation for the journey that yet lay before them and it was to be a long Long wandering rather than a short journeying.

It would have only been a short journey from Sinai To Canaan, but because of the rebellion of the people it became a long period of wandering. So this these 58 chapters That deal with the time that Israel spent before Mount Sinai Really have to do first of all with a revelation of the Lord to his people.

Relations of God for his people of God to meet their need the character of God is revealed to us in Exodus 19. It should be of more interest to us as God's people to learn God that we can never found and yet the Lord Jesus came To reveal the father.

God's Purpose and Sanctification of His People

No man has seen God at any time. They only begotten son in the bosom of the father. He has led him forth into revelation and in Exodus 19 There are three things that are taught us about the character of God.

We're taught first of all about the divine purpose. That's from verse 3 to verse 8 of Exodus 19. The purpose of God for his people that's that's like Ephesians chapter 1. Where you read of the God who purposed in himself?

You read of his will for his people and you read of a day that's coming when God will gather together in one all Things in Christ both which are in heaven and which are in earth. So the first thing in Exodus 19 that you learn about God's character is his purpose for his people.

Of course the next thing that we learn about his character is the sanctification of his people. They're set apart unto God and the third thing we learn is the fact that God delights to reveal himself to them to them.

He manifested himself to these wilderness people. I think perhaps if you look at Exodus 19 with me and Follow the verses as closely as you can and I'll follow them just as simply as I can. Perhaps we'll see exactly what the Spirit of God has in mind.

You know when they come out of Egypt They were to learn the faithfulness of God. The record of these journeyings is a record of the sin of Israel. The rebellion their unbelief their faithlessness out of the record.

Sometimes it makes me so guilty. It's such a mirror to show me my own heart. But I can't say that there's times when I really find a great deal of pleasure in it for it really shows me myself. But as we were saying lies the human heart in the presence of divine grace for throughout the journeyings of Israel God was displayed came from Egypt purchased by blood and they learned the value of the blood of the Lamb.

I Wonder has everyone in the meeting tonight Learned the value of the blood of Calvary's Lamb. And can you say from your heart? I have been to the altar and witnessed the Lamb Burn holy to ashes for me and watched it sweet savor ascending on high.

Accepted Oh father by thee. They learned of God's character in redemption out of Egypt. They learned of God's character by the guidance They received for the pillar of clouds came down and eat them and the pillar of fire by night.

They guide them along the way and they learned the faithfulness of God regardless of the of their rebellion of the people regardless of what they said against God or against Moses there was the pillar of cloud to guide them and God in his faithfulness said it would never depart from them until they were landed safe in the land of Canaan.

That pillar of cloud was an evidence of God's faithfulness. Of course, they learned of the power of God at the Red Sea. They were brought through that Red Sea by a might the mighty miracle working God.

And it was a mighty miracle God performed on their behalf. You'd wonder that they could ever forget it. And you know that only three days from the time they sang redemption songs. It's a Red Sea and their hearts swelled up in thanksgiving to God for his great deliverance.

Within three days. They were murmuring against God when they came out of the land of Egypt. The psalmist tells us there was not one feeble one among them, but last night we were reading that Amalek. Who fought with them here that Amalek was tracing behind?

The pathway of Israel and the stragglers. Those who lagged behind and the feeble among them were cut off by Amalek. So it didn't take long for the feeble to appear among them. You know in the beginning of Christian experience three a pattern set and it very seldom changes as a general rule.

Those who in the early days of their Christian experience have an appetite for the Word of God. Ready to open their mouths, even if it's in a most simple way. To those who are near them to friends and family and tell them of the grace of God to them.

Usually that pattern that's set in the days of early Christian experience is followed throughout Christian experience. Christian experience. Christopher's and again yesterday. I would have gone to see him more often if I had the opportunity.

I knew and he stood out in the corridor and the staff walking up and down the corridor and the nurses station right nearby. Thank you. I thought he was on the platform. He raised his voice just about as loud as you could could in a conversation.

The mercy of God that would ever save a wretch like him. And I tell you thrilled my heart. To see a man rejoicing in God's salvation. God had shown his faithfulness in their guidance in the mighty power displayed in their deliverance at the Red Sea.

God's Faithfulness in Provision and Deliverance

But God wasn't finished showing them his faithfulness yet. Whenever they get into difficulty and there was no water to drink. Whenever there was no food to eat God provided for them out of his rich bounty.

He gave them angels food to eat. He rain bread from heaven for them. We read the other night course cause Moses to strike the rock and the water flowed out for the refreshing of his people. And last night we were speaking of that as being the gift of the Spirit which God has given to everyone who knows Christ.

Every believer is indwelt by the Spirit of God and then of course God gave them victory over their enemy. When they fought with Amalek God gave them deliverance from Amalek. And then God in his grace in chapter read in chapter 18, but in Exodus 18 God displayed his grace in showing them how he could govern them in righteousness.

God was showing his character to them, but there were things about God. They hadn't yet learned that they would learn at Mount Sinai. So here in chapter 19 of Exodus, we read that God said I bear you on eagles wings.

Now that's just what we've been speaking about. I bear you on eagles wing. What heights God had lifted them to? They had just been poor slaves in the land of Egypt. And God had carried them on eagles wings and he had brought them to himself.

That's the experience of every child of God and thank God he ever brought us to himself. And thank God for every time when our hearts have been attracted to the person of Christ. Our hearts have gone after him as the heart panteth after the water brook.

The psalmist said so panteth my soul after thee. Oh God in a dry and thirsty land where no water is he was speaking of the experience of Israel. God was their portion of his people so he said I brought you to myself and he said if you will obey my voice and Keep my covenant then he shall be a precious treasure a Peculiar treasure unto me and God said that they were to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation Unto the Lord and the people said all that the Lord hath promised.

Now they said that three times we read tonight in Exodus 19 in verse 8. This is the first time they said it. All that the Lord has spoken We will do. We're going to come back to that in a moment God knew their hearts.

And that's one of the reasons they were in this wilderness, you know, if God was just ready To take us home to heaven the moment we got saved we never would have gone to school and The reason we're left here is to go to school.

I tell you some sometimes we're very slow learners. God took these people out into this wilderness to learn their own hearts. He took them out here to learn God. And he took them out here that they might be able to.

I assure you that Canaan is not heaven. But I assure you of this as well. Any trial that we've ever had here will only make heaven all the sweeter at the close and God allows us to go to school. And some of the lessons are bitter.

Some of the lessons are very hard and Tragically like the child in school some of the lessons we have to learn again and again. We seem to be very slow. But God is very patient. And there were tiny I God reveals himself.

He displays his power. There were thunders there were lightnings a Thick cloud upon the mount the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud smoke fire earthquake. And as the sound of a clear ringing note of the trumpet grew louder and louder.

Until it filled the wilderness air sunny. I and God spoke. They were to learn that he's a God of justice that he's a God of truth and he's a God of righteousness and They had to learn that. Understanding something of God's holy character at Mount Sinai.

The Holiness of God and Separation from the World

You know, I I never know I've never known of a time in Christian experience not in my own little history. I don't want a time when we as God's people Needed more. To get a fresh grip character of God have the fear of God put in our souls around us in the world.

There is no fear of God before men's eyes and talk about Christians being different from the world around them. When I was saved as a lad I used to hear a great deal of teaching about separation from the world.

The world of 35 years ago Was a vastly different world than the world of 1972. And if it was necessary to be separated from the world of that day. How much more necessary it is to be separated from the world of this day?

You see this was a God of Righteousness and truth who demanded holiness in his people. He had said that he would make them a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. You know that that wasn't to happen because they didn't keep God's law.

Because though they said all that the Lord had commanded we will do they did not do it. I'm a kingdom of priests. But God in grace has brought us into the very place and God has made his people today a holy people and a kingdom of priests.

First Peter 2 tells us the law that was given. It's sunny. I was spiritual. It was moral, you know. It was written on the tables of their hearts. Before it was ever written on the two tables of stone and I didn't even read the decalogue the ten words of Exodus 20 tonight.

I trust that you know the commandments. I Didn't read them because I don't think they're important. I think they're of the greatest importance. I think it was absolutely necessary that they be given. I Hope to be able to tell you before the meetings over tonight why they were given.

Those laws were written on the hearts of God's people before they were ever written on tables of stone. Someone asked me the other night that question. What kind of law guided them as they come out of Egypt during this two months of journeying through the wilderness?

The law has not yet been given but listen God speaks three times during this period of two months of the commandments that he had given them. Three times he refers to the fact that he had given them commandments.

Where in their hearts written in the fleshy tables of the heart? Before they were ever engraved by the finger of God on Those hard tables of stone. This is a moral law. We live in a lawless age. And we need to learn afresh that our God is a God of righteousness and holiness.

Because this lawless age has an effect upon the people of God, you know, this is a an amoral society today and while It isn't always amoral and while it isn't even always immoral. Yet there are movements working in the world today that will bring down all the works of men we believe that this nation and all the great works of men Will be destroyed.

By moral decay the wrath of God is going to be visited upon this world. But it will be like the people who lived here in the land of Canaan. The Amorites that God speaks about to Abraham in Genesis 15.

He told him that his seed would remain four hundred years of slaves in Egypt and that God would bring them out with a high hand and with much substance, which he did and God said that he would bring them into the land of Canaan.

For God said the cup of the Amorites is not yet full. God was going to use Israel to punish the wicked people of Canaan and I believe for this world we live in today. The cup is filling fast even all my heart that this world is ripening fast for the wrath of God.

And when I say an amoral society, I just mean this men have always recognized that there's a moral law a law that distinguishes Light from darkness. The very first work of God in the Bible is to separate the light from the darkness and God has always done that and he will do it to the end.

But men today Love nothing better than to confuse the light in the darkness. There's nothing they like better than to mix it up. And so today They're actually attacking the standard that God has set For man to live by and mind you it is the standard and it still is the standard.

I'll explain it to you perhaps in a few minutes that it was not given to Israel for their salvation. It was not given to them to keep it for they had already broken it. They were already guilty sinners.

Nevertheless, it is God's moral standard and God will not lower his standard to meet the guilt of man. God's standard is inflexible and unchanging. He says I am the Lord. I change not. Therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed now.

You see in heathen them when they had a God of lust a God that was worshipped By immoral practices, of course. The people partook of the nature of that of that heathen deity if they had a God of war. Then the people partook of that type of nature.

You have a God of holiness. I'm reminded of the words of 1st John chapter 2 Be holy. This is a holy God of young people. And this is a kind of a tangent forgive me for it in the world today. There are many people rising up in The last generation or two who really believe in their hearts.

What is is Right. I'm the name of dr. CS Lewis was saved when he was about 29 years of age. He was a teacher at Cambridge University in England a most ungodly man. He was a thorough atheist came dissatisfied with the world and himself and everything around him.

He began to seek for salvation. He didn't even know what his trouble was. And of course he went through all the religions of this world and its philosophies too with which he was most familiar. And when he got to Hinduism This might be surprising to some of you to some of you who are younger perhaps in university.

This will not be too surprising when he got to Hinduism. He found something that appealed to him of All the of all the religions of of heathen them Hinduism perhaps has the most of commended so I'm taking the very best of man's religions.

Heathen them can boast at least something good in Hinduism, but wait a minute. Do you know that in Hinduism? Whenever they come to any kind of a moral standard, this is it. Whatever men do. Then that's right the behavior of Man, then that is what is right.

Now stop for a moment and think what that means. One day a brilliant young university student who had been raised a Hindu was taking part in a conversation about moral standards there were Christians present and Those Christians turned to him and said is it not true in your religion?

That what is yet to acknowledge that that was so and they said to him that means That if there's cruelty if there's oppression if there's murder. Adultery rape anything else that goes on in the world because it exists that makes it right.

A brilliant young student was most confused only he dropped his head and Excused himself from the car and we've got people in enlightened America with an open Bible. With all the background of the gospel that's been preached in this land for generations.

We've got people not by the hundreds today or by the thousands, but by the millions. Who agree with that kind of thinking what is is right come to Sinai? You learn that there's a holy God. The first table of the law was God word.

The second table of the law was man word those five commandments on that first table we're in this order first of all thoughts and Then words and then deeds. Now because it's God word its thoughts first.

God knows the thoughts of our heart. Psalm 139 says he knoweth my thoughts afar off. He understandeth all my ways to have thoughts first on that first table on the second table. It's a man word table.

And so it goes just the opposite. First of all, you have deeds and then you have thoughts holy order. Why was the law given? You know, I I'm certain that this is a matter of confusion in the minds of many and there may be young Christians here tonight.

The Purpose of the Law

And and and really this is something that's that's often puzzled you. You may know the answer to it and yet there may be parts of that answer that you may not be clear about. Well, I hope this gets cleared up to you tonight.

I hope it's so clear and so simple and so plain that you'll be able to understand what I have to say about it now. In the first place God did not impose the law upon these people at Sinai until they voluntarily accepted it in Exodus 19 when Moses went up in the mount to talk with God and he came down and told the people the words of God.

The people said all that the Lord had commanded we will do. God has said we will do and Then God took them on that ground and in chapter 24 in verse 3 and in verse 7 of Exodus 24 They repeated those words again so three times over Israel said all that the Lord Lord hath commanded we will do and God took them on the ground that they took and Then he imposed his law upon them and he made a covenant with the merit Sinai.

It was a covenant of works. It was based upon the moral law. They miserably failed. But why did he give them the law? I'm very interested to know that. Why did God give the law to a guilty people? Maybe you say well that isn't of interest to me.

Well, it should be. Because this affects you very much. Why did he give the law to a guilty people? Anyway, they'd already broken it. They had already come short of it. There was the standard and they had missed it.

Why did he give it to them? Listen, I'll tell you why he didn't give it to them. He did not give it to them for salvation. Certainly not if you were to turn to Romans chapter 5 and verse 20. You'd read these words.

The law entered that sin might abound. Law came in to show man his sin. The law was like a mirror let down to have it from heaven. And if you looked in that mirror. It might show me my ties crooked. It might show me my face is dirty.

But I wouldn't straighten my tie or wash my face. It would only show me what's wrong. The law was like a plumb line. You put that plumb line against the wall. It'll show you the wall is crooked. It won't straighten it out.

It was like a light. The light might show me that there are obstacles in the path. But I won't remove the obstacles. But listen now and this is very important. And these are things that are so basic that sometimes we can slip over them very easily.

That law did not create evil either. You see that that mirror doesn't make my face dirty. That plumb line doesn't make the wall crooked. That light doesn't put the obstacles in the path. It only reveals it doesn't create the law didn't make the evil.

But the law did show it. The law was added because of transgressions. It says that statement is found in Galatians chapter 3 in verse 19. That the law was added because they were already transgressors because they were already guilty.

It was added to show them their guilt. Galatians 3 and 21 says if there had been a law that could have given life. Verily righteousness would have been by the law. The law never gave life to the Israelite.

It never provided salvation for anyone. If you have an old school field Bible that old school field Bible will say That under the old economy the people were saved by law-keeping. In the new school field Bible that has been produced recently.

That's one correction. They have made. No one was ever saved by law-keeping. There was only one who ever fulfilled the law and he was the spotless unblemished lamb of God. Holy in all he thought in all he said and all he did in all of his life.

The law was given to show man their guilt to show them their sin. In fact The words of Galatians 3 and 24 are very important to us. Paul is referring to Israel and he said the law was their schoolmaster until Christ.

The law was the pedagogue the teacher until Christ came. The law showed them their need of Christ. The law showed them their guilt and their sin and that's all it could do and that's all it did do. I wonder is there someone in the meeting tonight and you've never seen yourself.

You've never really got a look at yourself the way God sees you. You've never understood your sin in the eyes of a sin-hating God. You've never stood in the unsullied light of his divine presence and had your heart exposed.

The man in Psalm 90 knew about that. He said Lord thou has set our iniquities before thee our secret sins in the light of thy presence. A young man was saved last winter in meetings we had and I suppose he was such an outstanding.

But when he came to meetings. The Christians who heard him talk who saw his life. Who watched his conduct? Believed that he was really a Christian. Of course, he took the place of being a Christian though.

He had never been saved. He took the place of being one. And he had such an outstanding life. He was one of those kind of you remember those four kinds of creatures that were in the heat that Peter saw let down from heaven.

There were there were birds there were fowls of the air and there were Four-footed beasts and there were creeping things. He was he must have been like one of the fowls of the air because He seemed to his standard of life might have been higher than some Christians.

But when God awakened that young man He only told us one night. He said I'm such a wicked sinner. But I don't wonder that I deserve to be in hell because we had asked him that if he could see deserve to be in hell.

He said I don't wonder that I deserve to be in heaven. He showed him his sin. The only place to see your sin is in the light of the divine presence. So the law was given. That sin might abound. But where grace abounded or where sin abounded grace Did much more abound.

Sinai and Calvary: The Storm and Darkness

And very briefly? I want to try to look at Sinai and Calvary tonight just for a moment. You know, I think there is a great contrast between Mount Sinai. I believe that the contrasts are not incidental or accidental.

That God has actually given us a great contrast between Sinai and Calvary at Sinai. There was a great storm and a tempest. Well, I don't wonder those people drew back in fright from that mountain. God had told them to put a fence around it.

Moses had to had to draw a line around the mountain and whoever crossed the line would die whether it was man or beast. But I tell you there was another reason to make them draw back. For a tremendous tempest shook the mountain.

A storm from God descended on it Calvary. Was there a tempest? Was there a storm? Christian saying the tempest. Awful voice was heard. Oh Christ it broke on thee. Thine open bosom was my ward. It braved the storm for me.

Thy form was scarred thine image marred now cloudless peace for me. The pent-up fury of the wrath of God burst there at Calvary. An old preacher who is nearing heaven. Nearing the glory he used to tell us years ago when he was a much younger man.

That it was the it was the floodgates of mercy that held back the judgment of God from falling upon us as sinners and It was the floodgates of grace that opened to pour out God's blessings upon us. But there were floodgates that were opened at Calvary.

The wrath of God and he bared his gentle bosom to the storm and I thank God that the storm that bowed his blessed head is hushed forever now. Peace divine is ours instead. While glory crowns his brow the storm has spent its fury.

I'll never feel the storm. The storm was at Sinai. The storm was at Calvary. There was a thick darkness at Sinai and Moses entered into that thick darkness. You ever see a thick darkness. I never did.

I've been down in the in a coal mine and Had the miner turn off his headlamp darkness creeping in around me like a like a physical thing. I couldn't feel the thickness of it. You know what it says about Calvary.

There was a darkness. Now let me tell you what the indefinite article means there or the lack of the definite article. Because that's all there is in the New Testament. There's no indefinite article. The lack of the definite article means this.

It wasn't just the darkness of night That descended upon Calvary. It wasn't just the ordinary darkness that men knew. Was something entirely different different. It was a darkness and at midday a Darkness.

Moses entered into the darkness at Sinai. At Calvary the Lord Jesus entered into the darkness alone. No human eye looked on. God shrouded the sin in darkness. Sonny I was a holy place. Could it compare with Calvary?

For the Holy Son of God just for me at Sinai the mount quaked greatly. We read that in Exodus 19 a Great earthquake shook the mountain at Calvary. I read today in Matthew 27 that the earth quaked and the rocks rent.

Sometimes we sing that hymn mid rending rocks and darkening skies. My Savior bows his head and dies. The opening veil reveals the way to heaven's joys and endless day. At Calvary there was a great earthquake at Sinai.