FBC Morning Light (2/3/2024)

Good Saturday morning, people of faith. This morning we are going to be reading from the latter part of Exodus 15 through chapter 23, and as part of the chronological reading, there is a lot of stuff here in Exodus 15 through 23, so let me just kind of walk through a little bit of it and then we're gonna camp out a little bit on chapter 20.

So at the latter part of 15, we start with the bitter water that the people experienced in Marah.

Marah itself means bitter, and then moving on at the end of chapter 15, they get to a place called

Elim, and then in chapter 16 we are introduced to the, what is it?

Manna. That's what manna means. What or what is it? And then in chapter 17,

Moses gets water from the rock at the Lord's instruction, as well as in chapter 17 we have victory over the

Amalekites. Chapter 18, Jethro comes and gives his advice to Moses.

Chapter 19, they arrive at Mount Sinai, and then chapters 20 verses 1 through 17

I'm going to read in just a moment, but finishing the overview, chapters 21 through 23 have a lot of specifics about the law that's given, as well as different feasts and several promises that the

Lord makes. Chapter 20 verses 1 through 17 has been put on schoolroom walls, it has been put on monuments of stone and placed in front of buildings.

In recent years in our country, chapter 20 verses 1 through 17 has been the source of controversy, and I don't think it should be a source of controversy because the morality behind these 10 commandments in these 17 verses stands the test of time.

Let's read. Chapter 20, starting in verse 1, And God spoke all these words, saying,

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

You shall not bow down to them, nor serve them. For I, the Lord your

God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me.

But showing mercy to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not take the name of the

Lord your God in vain. For the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work.

But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work, you nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.

For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day.

Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. Honor your father and your mother that your days may be long upon the land which the

Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not cover your, covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.

And that is the Ten Commandments.

All right, and as you read, as I've read these, hopefully your mind was thinking through, how am

I doing with these? Is there anything in which the Lord might be using to prick your conscience that you might repent and believe in what the

Lord has done? In the New Testament we are told very clearly that the law was never intentioned to be the instrument by which we gained righteousness.

However, it is a schoolmaster designed to show us our need of a

Savior. And perhaps this day, in the reading of these Ten Commandments, that may be happening for you.

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you that your word is true.

Thank you for these Ten Commandments. The truth of them has stood the test of time, but there is no test that we can give to you or your word, for you and your word shall stand forever.

Thank you for all that you have done for us in giving us this law as a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ.

Thank you for your Son and His sacrifice that we're able to come before you. It's in your

Son's name, Jesus we pray. Amen. Have an excellent day, people of faith.