In the Upper Story, God creates the Lower Story. His vision is to come down and be with us in a beautiful garden. The first two people reject God’s vision and are escorted from paradise. Their decision introduces sin into the human race and keeps us from community with God. At this moment, God gives a promise and launches a plan to get us back. The rest of the Bible is God’s story of how He kept that promise and made it possible for us to enter a loving relationship with Him.

SUMMARY

God had worked through Moses to lead His people out of Egypt and now they were assembled at the foot of Mount Sinai in the desert wilderness. A holy God requires a holy people, so they were to consecrate themselves to prepare to meet with Him. When God’s presence filled the top of Mount Sinai with thunder and fire the people were terrified. They were invited to a direct relationship with the LORD, but opted for Moses to act as an intermediary on their behalf. Moses met with God on the mountain and received the Ten Commandments written on tablets of stone. These commands and ordinances revealed God’s expectations for His covenant people. This covenant was sealed with blood and ratified by Israel’s full commitment to obey. 

That commitment, however, did not have the spiritual character to back it up. Just days after Israel agreed to obey God’s laws, they were up to their earrings in idolatry. While Moses was on the mountain with God, the people traded their golden opportunity for a golden calf. When Moses caught sight of their depravity, he shattered the tablets and took immediate action. He assembled the faithful and put to death the corrupt. Sin, as always, was pricey, painful, and never worth the cost.

When God proposed to send Israel on to Canaan without Him, Moses prayed for God’s presence to remain. God graciously agreed and promised He would remain with Israel, in the form of a cloud over the Tabernacle. God then graciously answered another prayer of Moses to “show me Your glory” (p.67).  God passed before him allowing Moses to only see His back because “my face must not be seen.” What an expression of God’s compassion and grace! After spending forty days with the LORD on Mount Sinai, Moses came down with two new tablets of the covenant law. Moses’ face was so radiant after time with God that he had to be veiled because the people were afraid. 

God’s grace compels a devotion to Him alone. He is a jealous God for our benefit; all other gods lead to sin and death. His people are free – not to act any way they want, but free to become who He created them to be – holy, different, and designed to point the world to him.  God didn’t just redeem Israel from slavery; He redeemed them for holiness. 

QUESTIONS

1. What rule did you have as a child that you didn’t appreciate following? Are there any rules today that you chafe against? Describe what living in a society without rules would be like.
2. What do the Ten Commandments reveal about the nature of God and His desire to have a relationship with us? (P.61-62, The Story)
3. What do you think of this statement, “The degree to which we are obedient to God’s command to love one another is the degree to which His presence dwells among us”?
4. Moses said, “Do not be afraid, God has come to test you so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning” (p. 61, The Story). How does the fear of God restrain sin in your life? As you grow in God’s love and trust His intentions, how does your desire not to sin change? Where is sin’s gravitational force strongest in your life? To whom could you be accountable to overcome this pull?
5. The Lord spoke to Moses “as one speaks to a friend” (p. 67, The Story). Rate your relationship to God, from 1 = Total Stranger to 10 = Close Friend. What is one step you could take this week to move closer to Him?
6. How did Israel go from “everything the Lord has said we will do” to building a false god in scarcely over a month? Why is it so easy to forget God’s mercies? Name one thing that helps you remember God’s faithfulness.
7. Moses was an intermediary between Israel and God. Who in your life has prayed for you, helped you see God’s will, or acted as a spiritual mentor? How could you do this for someone else? Who comes to your mind?
8. How does your life testify to the daily (even hourly) presence of God with you?

TAKE-AWAY

God wants to dwell among us, a community of people who love Him wholeheartedly and who follow the commandments He has given. And He created a plan to do just that. Nothing is an after-thought in this plan as God has taken care of every detail to atone for our sin, to live with us, and to help us live well together. Make room for Him!

PRAYER

Thank you for showing us your way that fosters life through the commandments and your law. Forgive us for how we have fallen short. Forgive us for choosing our own way and hurting others and ourselves. Help us hear again, the promise of life and rescue that Jesus wins through his sacrifice for us. Lead us to follow your way and your law of love as we open our hearts to more of your love and our minds to more of your truth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.