What really stood out to me in this chapter was the washing of the clothes and how symbolic that was. Many come to Christ for salvation, but walk away unchanged, yet the Bible calls us to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16), to live righteously, to die to ourselves, and to crucify the lust of the flesh. Romans 12 refers to this outward change as our “reasonable service.”

Too often grace is confused with disobedience. In Romans 6:15 Paul writes, “What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.”

The Israelites we’re quick to agree that they would obey God’s commands and keep his covenant, but as we’ll see in upcoming chapters they didn’t hold onto those words very long.

Questions and Answers…

Let’s establish a time frame. How long had it been since the Israelites left Egypt?

This was three months after they left.

What was the promise that God told Moses to convey in verses 5 and 6? And what was the condition?

They would be a treasure to Him, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation above other people.
The condition: If you obey his voice and keep his covenant.

How do these promises compare to 1 Peter 2:9?

The new church established through faith in Jesus Christ is “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people.”

Those who were not His people before (the Gentiles) are brought into the new covenant by the blood of Jesus.

What was their response in verse 7?

They agreed to every word the Lord had spoken to them through Moses.

The Lord told Moses to sanctify the people. What does “sanctify” mean?

To make holy, set apart, consecrate. (dictionary.com)

What similarities do we find in Hebrews 10:19-23? What might the washing of clothes symbolize?

I see this portion of scripture being two-fold. One is that Moses sanctified them, the other is that they also did their part by washing their clothes.

When we come to Christ, we are sanctified through His blood. We are righteous because He is righteous. But still we are called to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which the Bible refers to in Romans 12:1 as our reasonable service.

Righteous living is an outward expression of an inward change. Baptism is a symbol of this change as it illustrates one dying to self and rising again with Christ.

What three things took place in verse 16?

There was thunder and lightning, a thick cloud appeared upon the mountain, and the voice of the trumpet sounded.

Why was it important for Moses to prevent the people from going up the mountain?

If they broke through and looked at God, they would die. Later in the book we’ll read about Moses covering his face with a veil when God appeared in His glory.

Questions and Answers…

Briefly list the ten commandments.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me
You shall not worship any graven image
You should not take God’s name in vain
Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy
Honor thy father and mother
Thou shalt not kill
Thou shalt not commit adultery
Thou shalt not steal
Thou shalt not bear false witness
Thou shalt not covet

What may be some of the things that we treasure more than our Lord?

Marriage, family, self, pride, jobs, money, power, romance, sex…

Some churches omit the second commandment, and instead split the tenth. What is the second commandment?

Thou shalt not make any graven image and bow down to worship it. This is obviously different than having a painting or a statue. It’s the worship of that painting or statue that misplaces our devotion to God.

How is the second commandment different from the first?

Having other gods before God can be anything that takes first priority in our life. God is jealous for us. He wants our attention and devotion. In order to serve Him, we must put Him before anything else in our lives.

A graven image is something carved, sculpted, or painted to reflect the image of a deity. We aren’t to put our faith in anything other than God Himself. The Bible says:

“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” – John 4:24

Verse five tells us that He is a jealous God. What is the difference between being jealous of us, and being jealous for us?

When you are jealous of someone you have a feeling of opposition to them. Instead of wanting them to succeed, you want them to fail so that you might succeed in their place.

Galatians 5:20 talks about the sin of jealousy, which is the former.

Being jealous for someone is wanting their time and attention. It’s a desire to be in an exclusive relationship with them because of their love toward the person. God has created us for His pleasure, and therefore we belong to Him, as a wife belongs to her husband.

What are two of the ways that we might use God’s name in vain?

By saying that we are believers and living contrary to His Word.
By using His name as a curse word.
By using His name in useless talk such as “Oh my _____!”

What are some things we might learn about the Sabbath from the New Testament?

Mark 2:27 – The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
Colossians 2:16-17 – We are not to judge or be judged with respect to the Sabbath.
Hebrews 4:9-11 – The Sabbath is a shadow of resting in the righteousness of Christ through grace.
Acts 20:7 – The disciples gathered on the first day of the week in the New Testament, which is why most churches today have adopted the first day of the week for church services. Also because Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week.
1 Corinthians 16:2 – The churches collected an offering on the first day of each week for the Saints.

What really stood out to me in these two chapters, was the compassion of God for His people. He started off by addressing the least among them—the servants–and how they should be treated. He went on to make laws that gave a voice to virgins, daughters, the unborn, widows, hard-working men, orphans, animals, and the poor.

In particular, I noticed how at the end of chapter 22, He is gracious and empathetic, thoughtful and kind–willing to fight for those who can’t fight for themselves.

I couldn’t help but wonder how many times I’ve glossed over these chapters without stopping to realize just how amazing He is.

Questions and Answers…

Before we read these chapters, lets look at Galatians 3:19-26 to gain a better understanding of the law of Moses. What was its purpose?

The law wasn’t a means of justification, but rather to show men their need for justification, until Abraham’s seed, to whom the promise was made, should come.

Some would say that all born of Abraham are his seed, but Galatians 3:29 tells us, “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Therefore, Abraham’s seed are those who walk in faith.

The law pointed men toward Christ. It taught them that there was a penalty for sin, and the need for a sacrifice.

And so we see that the New Testament doesn’t replace the law or contradict the Old Testament. In fact, Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” – Matthew 5:17

Jesus is the fulfillment of the law. Everything written in the law was written for a purpose. There was a need that was satisfied through the death and resurrection of Christ.

Matthew 6:24 says that we can’t serve two masters. We’re either slaves to sin or servants of God. How is one a slave to sin? And what can we do to change that?

Whether we realize it or not, there’s a spiritual struggle taking place in our lives as the flesh is at war against our Spirit. Galatians 5:24 tells us, “they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”

Those who keep feeding the flesh, weaken the Spirit. In fact, I had a woman tell me this afternoon that she felt trapped in her sin. She knew what was right, but couldn’t find the strength to do it. She had been feeding her sin for so long that it was winning the fight.

Galatians 5:17 says, “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that you cannot do the things that you would.”

The Bible tells us that there’s freedom from sin, but I can tell you that it’s not always easy. Crucifying the flesh can be painful some days, as we put aside our passion and lust for the truth of God’s Word. The good news however, is that freedom from sin leads us to peace and joy in His presence.

“That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” – Romans 8:4-6

What does Jesus say about an eye for an eye in the New Testament? See Matthew 5:38-42.

To turn the other cheek, to give to those who have taken from us, and give to those who ask.

The Old Testament taught us that there was a penalty for every action—an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. This penalty was paid in full when Christ took His place upon the cross not for our sins alone, but also for those who have taken from us.

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” – Ephesians 4:32

List some of the specific ways that God is protecting His people with these laws.

As I read these laws, I see that God is protecting: servants, daughters, pregnant women and their husbands, those who kill by accident, those kidnapped, the injured, animals, those who are robbed, owners of fields and vineyards, virgins, strangers (foreigners), widows, orphans, the poor, and the leaders.