Class Lesson April 7, 2013

Hey Gang,

We begin a new series this week entitled: HOLY GOD, HOLY PEOPLE. This series of study will help us understand what holiness is, why God expects holiness from us, and how we can become holy.


The moral relativism of our culture too often merges with our grace-oriented approach to Christian living to produce a deterioration of holy living. This study is not intended to minimize God’s grace, but it is a reminder that the Holy God expects true holiness in His people. In fact, God’s love and grace make it possible for us to be separated from the world, to be brought into right relationship with Him, and to be set aside to Him for His service and His glory. Yet many believers think holiness is an attribute of only superior Christians, not every Christian. The Bible does not support that understanding. These lessons will help us develop a biblical view of what it means to be called to be a holy people, ways we can honor the holiness of God, some practical effects of holy living, and the benefits that come to those who live holy unto the Lord.

Here are the 4 lessons in this series:

1. April 7  Called to Holiness - Exodus 19:1-6, 10-14, 16-19

2. April 14 Honoring God’s Holiness – Leviticus 5:1, 4-5, 14-16; 6:1-7

3. April 21 Living in Holiness – Leviticus 18:1-5, 20-26; 20:6-8

4. April 28 Blessings of Holiness – Leviticus 26:3-13, 40-42, 45

Name your most prized possession. Why is it important to you? What do you do to protect it?

• God had been working for centuries to care for the nation of Israel and to deliver them to the land He had promised them.
• He had protected them under the care of Joseph. When they began to be abused by a new Pharaoh, He dramatically brought about their release. Now that they were finally free from the Egyptian captors and were on their way to the Promised Land, God wanted them to grasp how much He treasured them and to embrace what He expected of them.
• God wanted Israel to be “My own possession out of all the peoples” (v. 5). God likewise delivered us from being slaves to sin and has led us to the promised land of a new life with Him. But to experience all He desires for us, we too must learn what He expects of us – it’s a call to holiness. The key to embracing holiness is to daily keep our eyes of Jesus.

Jesus says when we take our eyes off Him we begin to slide into that which is not holy.

 Texting and Driving 

Texting while driving is a growing trend, and a national epidemic, quickly becoming one of the country’s top killers. Drivers assume they can handle texting while driving and remain safe, but the numbers don’t lie.

Texting While Driving Causes:

1. 600,000 accidents per year – National Safety Council

2. 330,000 injuries per year – Harvard Center for Risk Analysis Study

3. 11 teen deaths EVERY DAY – Ins. Institute for Hwy Safety Fatality Facts

4. Nearly 25% of ALL car accidents



Texting While Driving Is:

1. About 6 times more likely to cause an accident than driving intoxicated

2. The same as driving after 4 beers – National Hwy Transportation Safety Admin.

3. The number one driving distraction reported by teen drivers



Texting While Driving:

1. Makes you 23X more likely to crash – National Hwy Transportation Safety Admin.

2. Is the same as driving blind for 5 seconds at a time – VA. Tech Transportation Institute

3. Takes place by 800,000 drivers at any given time across the country

4. Slows your brake reaction speed by 18% – Human Factors & Ergonomics Society

5. Leads to a 400% increase with eyes off the road


Jesus says when you take your eyes off Him you are in very dangerous territory!



How often do we take our eyes off Christ during a single day? I dare say that to do so would be as chilling and dangerous as texting while driving an automobile. We are called to be holy! We see this in the following lesson and we see it throughout Scripture (Lev. 19:2; 1 Peter 1:15-16). Let us not for a moment take our eyes off our Redeemer and Savior Jesus Christ—for to do so is peril.

Life Goal

Value holiness by living it out in your daily life.

I. WHO WE SHOULD BE – EXODUS 19:1-6
Israel at Sinai

19 In the third month, on the same day of the month that the Israelites had left the land of Egypt, they entered the Wilderness of Sinai. 2 After they departed from Rephidim, they entered the Wilderness of Sinai and camped in the wilderness, and Israel camped there in front of the mountain. 3 Moses went up the mountain to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain: “This is what you must say to the house of Jacob, and explain to the Israelites: 4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Me. 5 Now if you will listen to Me and carefully keep My covenant, you will be My own possession out of all the peoples, although all the earth is Mine, 6 and you will be My kingdom of priests and My holy nation.’ These are the words that you are to say to the Israelites.” 



The essence of holiness: letting God dictate your daily life. Holiness causes your character to look increasingly similar to God’s character.

According to these verses, who should we be? What did God require of the people of Israel?

• God had promised Moses at the burning bush that he and the people would return and worship at Mount Sinai (Ex. 3:1-12).
• God wanted Israel to be set apart for Him alone. The same is true for you. What needs to change today so that you can be who He wants you to be?

What does the image of the eagle tell you about God’s character?

• Throughout the Old Testament, God outlined His high standards of holiness. These equip to love and be loved.
• When we are vulnerable, God tenderly carries us and cares for us. In what aspect of your life do you need to remember that today?

What do you like and not like about God having expectations of you? Why are expectations a freeing thing? Why do we resist them?

• Exodus 19 doesn’t begin God’s relationship with Israel. It began as far back as Abraham (Gen. 12). This chapter does however mark a renewal of God’s covenant with His people. Discuss how making a commitment to others always involves clarifying expectations.

Describe your feelings as you look forward to a child returning home after being away for a while. How is God like and unlike a loving parent, longing to be close to His children?

• Know the Bible Context on p. 67 reminds us that the meeting between God and His people fulfilled a promise made to Moses at the burning bush.
• The phrase “eagles’ wings” (v. 4) pictures a parent eagle loving and protecting its young while it learns to fly.
• Holiness reveals God’s deep love for Israel and for us. God’s desire for His people to be holy shows that He loves them thoroughly.

What was expected of the people? What would they receive from God? Why were these conditions important? How do they work?

• Living out God’s commands is the path to freedom. He lets us in on inside information.
• God would soon clarify His expectations further through the Ten Commandments (chapter 20) and other parts of the Law.
• Explain that the benefits far outweigh whatever sin we might be struggling to part with.

Points:

1. What the Lord begins He continues, moving toward completion of His plan.
2. The Lord delivers, protects, and draws His people to Himself.
3. The Lord’s people are His special treasure.
4. The Lord’s people are to be holy, set aside to Him for His purpose.
5. The Lord expects His people to respond in obedience and faithfulness in their service to Him before all others.

The nation of Israel had been liberated from the captivity of the Egyptians. As such they were an emerging nation—a group of people yearning to be free from the oppression that they had experienced in Egypt. A march through the Sinai, along with the adversity which it brought the people, prepared them for meeting Yahweh at the holy mountain. No longer were they simply a people struggling through the desert—they were going to become a holy nation—consecrated unto Yahweh. The beginning of this chapter serves us a grammatical clue which includes a sharp break with what has previously happened in the narrative up to this point.
We see that on the same day serves as a linkage or a bridge to events which had their beginnings in the past (via interaction with Yahweh and Moses), yet resulted in the formation of Israel’s spiritual identity. Israel was brought to Sinai in the fulfillment of a promise made to Moses by Yahweh (Ex. 3:12). The trip from the Red Sea to Rephidim [REF ih dim] to Sinai had been an arduous one at best. Lack of naturally occurring water made it difficult on not only the livestock but also the people as well. While encamped at Sinai the people most likely obtained water for consumption at the base or foot of the mountain.
Once the people had settled in, Moses eagerly went up the mountain of God. The essential point of the third verse is that Moses went to meet Yahweh in order to hear from God. The overall impression I get from the text is that not only is Moses eager to get to the mountain, Yahweh Himself is as eager for Moses and Israel to arrive and thus unite a family of God. The picture painted by Moses is that Yahweh is as eager to see his children coming to Mount Sinai as the father was the prodigal son coming home! There is eagerness on the behalf of God at the prospect of uniting with His children that cannot be matched by mere mortals.
In verses 4-6 Yahweh spelled out the call to covenantal holiness by which He and His people were to live. This section is a summary of the complete account which would be given in the rest of Exodus and parts of Leviticus. Yahweh would set out the stipulations of the covenant and if the people committed themselves to loyally obey, and then they would be bound by the Law. God began this portion by helping the Israelites remember His saving acts. As a means of reviewing His history with the Hebrew people Yahweh enumerated what had happened since the recent deliverance from Egypt.

Three salient points are pivotal to verse 4 which reinforce the love and deliverance of Yahweh to His people. First, Yahweh reminded the Israelites of what He did to the Egyptians, no doubt a reference to the deliverance within Egypt and at the Red Sea. Second, He noted that He carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Me. A contrast is surely meant here between the interplay in the original language (Hebrew). There is a definite interplay between you and I which denotes not only a participation in the deliverance but also an overview of the history from the pharaohs to the present. The idea of being carried … on eagles’ wings also hearkens back to the supernatural provision in the wilderness. Third, we see where the people had been brought by the grace of Yahweh—to the mountain of God. Yahweh noted that He had brought you to Me, with the implication being brought into the spiritual presence of Yahweh at Sinai. A change is noted in verse 5 with now, a Hebrew adverb meaning presently or immediately. Notice the “if … then” form of the statement in this verse which sets up the stipulations for behavior of those involved in the covenant process. The Israelites were solemnly urged to listen to God intently and carefully keep His covenant. If the nation kept the commandments and spirit of the covenant, then out of all the peoples Israel would become Yahweh’s own possession or treasured possession. Peter made clear that this was not just specific instruction to the Israelites in the wilderness, but apply to Christians as well (1 Pet. 2:9-10).

There are a number of important theological points that need to be made from this declaration. First, in God’s providence and His omnipotence He made all the peoples of the world, yet He then chose the least of the great nations to be His own possession for Himself. This fact reveals quite a bit about Yahweh and His relationship with Israel. We can’t help but point back to Genesis 12; 15; and 17; where Yahweh promised Abram that He would make Abram into a mighty nation more numerous than the stars of the heavens (15:5). Second, we see a strong notion of monotheism in this verse. Although all the peoples, … all the earth are Yahweh’s, He has chosen Israel. Just as in the minor prophet Amos, God is not only the God of the entire world; He holds all people accountable before Him. The next phrase, and you will be My kingdom of priests and My holy nation, is foundational to the character and function of the nation itself. To unpack this verse we need to examine at least three logical conclusions that the phrase entails. First, if the nation were to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, that would entail a visual image to a watching world (much like the prophet Jonah to the Ninevites). (See this lesson’s concept study on “Kingdom of Priests.”) Second, within Israelite society the priest was the model for how the nation was to conduct itself. Just as the priest was to be set apart for his devotion to God so also was the nation Israel to be consecrated to God (Ps. 114:1-2). Striving to live lives of holiness was not limited to the priests in Israel but also shown as the hallmark for the people of the nation (Lev. 19:2). The Book of Leviticus deals with the holy conduct which was to be the characteristic of Israel.

Third, as a light to the rest of the world, Israel would intercede for the Gentiles (again see Jonah) and thus help bridge the distance between God and man. Lastly, it is vastly important to note that these … words (the Ten Words/Ten Commandments given in the next chapters) were given to Israel. It was the privilege and duty of Israel to keep these words preserved and protected as God went about the process of communicating what we know as the Old Testament.
 

II. HOW WE SHOULD PREPARE – EXODUS 19:10-14

10 And the Lord told Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. They must wash their clothes 11 and be prepared by the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 12 Put boundaries for the people all around the mountain and say: Be careful that you don’t go up on the mountain or touch its base. Anyone who touches the mountain will be put to death. 13 No hand may touch him; instead he will be stoned or shot with arrows. No animal or man will live. When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, they may go up the mountain.” 14 Then Moses came down from the mountain to the people and consecrated them, and they washed their clothes.

Imagine what your church’s next worship experience might be like if the congregation put no time or effort into what they were wearing and instead only spent time preparing and purifying their hearts for worship. How specifically would one do this? What difference do you think it would make?




Why do you think God had people wash their clothes? Why did God put boundaries for the people?

• What might this physical act have led them to consider?
• God isn’t just concerned with outward appearance. We need “clean hands and a pure heart” (Ps. 24:4).
• Invite God to clean you up on the inside. How do you take every thought and motive captive?

How should we prepare for worship?


If God was making Israel His “own possession” (v.5), why the need for the boundaries to keep them at a distance?

• God wanted the people to avoid approaching Him casually or irreverently.
• Do you regard the boundaries God places in your life? How would you describe your approach to Him: informal or awe-inspired?

Describe situations when a certain dress code must be followed. Why is casual attire not appropriate for all occasions?

• The physical action was symbolic of the more important spiritual preparation of the heart.
• Discuss the similarities between washing our clothes and purifying our hearts.

What do the boundaries that were placed around the mountain reveal about God? In what ways does God place boundaries in our lives? In what ways are we obligated to protect each other from crossing those boundaries?

• We don’t get to name the terms of approaching God.
• In His grace, God establishes boundaries, rules, and other means to keep people safe.
• Discuss reasons we give our children boundaries and how this connects God’s boundaries.

How should patterns of confession, repentance, and genuine heart change play out in the life of an everyday Christian? Be specific.

• Explore the freeing nature of allowing God to reshape and redeem us.
• Share how we help each other in this process.

We do not necessarily meet God at a mountain today, but He does still expect us to consecrate ourselves. How do you prepare yourself so you do not approach God casually or irreverently?



Points:

1. The Lord desires to make Himself known to His people.
2. Coming into the presence of the Lord is a serious matter that calls for spiritual preparation.
3. The holy Lord demonstrates His graciousness in inviting us to an encounter with Him.

How would we dress if given the opportunity to meet royalty? Unquestionably most of us will never meet Prince William or Princess Kate; however, if we were to meet them there would certainly be protocols to undertake. When someone goes to visit his or her senator, representative, or the President of the United States, there is most certainly a physical decorum that must be met. Verse 10 records the instructions given the people to consecrate themselves before coming into the presence of the Holy God. The idea behind consecrating or purifying oneself is the concept of being “singled out for a purpose.” Related words involve obligatory reverence or deferential regard that comes with relationship to God. In this sense of the word, the people were being reminded that they belonged to Yahweh. Holiness without an integral relationship with Yahweh is no holiness at all, and is a delusion at best. The people were to make ready not only by spiritual purification but also were to wash their clothes and cleanse themselves. These acts of preparation were to be combined with a boundary which would set off Mount Sinai, creating a zone that the people could not cross due to the holiness of Yahweh—for to do so would result in immediate death.


Once the people had consecrated themselves, on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. The people were to expect something that was unique! They were going to be granted a theophany (a physical manifestation of Yahweh upon the earth—see Micah 1:1-4). The people themselves would see this manifestation. In this case the theophany was seen at the top of the mountain (Ex. 19:20), but nonetheless Yahweh’s power was seen and heard by the whole nation.


Yahweh is a holy and awesome God who is slow to anger and abounds in love and kindness. In His kindness He did not want the Israelites to inadvertently stumble into the zone or sphere of His holiness and thus geographical boundaries were placed upon and around Mount Sinai (vv. 12-13). This is not unlike other portions of Scripture where the Holiness of God can be a deadly thing to sinful man (cf. Ex. 33:18-20; 2 Sam. 6:7). Stoned or shot with arrows would mitigate the taint of the one who transgressed God’s Holiness (see the sin of Achan in Josh. 7 where stones were used). God would give an exemption to His people by allowing them to go up the mountain at the appropriate time, but they had to stay within the zone He prescribed until then. A blast of the shofar or ram’s horn by God from atop Sinai would call forth the people to hear the words of Yahweh. The spectacle that was Sinai was to awaken the people to the fact that we approach God with deep reverence on His terms not our own. Thus we follow the marks and boundaries that He sets up in our lives or we face severe consequences—we are to avoid the unholy and embrace the holy.

III. WHAT WE SHOULD EXPECT – EXODUS 19:16-19

16 On the third day, when morning came, there was thunder and lightning, a thick cloud on the mountain, and a loud trumpet sound, so that all the people in the camp shuddered. 17 Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke because the Lord came down on it in fire. Its smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently. 19 As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him in the thunder.


 
What should we expect when we worship? What did people witness?

• God said He would come, and He did. He also promises to be present when we gather in His name as individuals (Matt. 28:20) or groups of believers (Matt. 18:20).
• God may reveal His power today or He may speak to you in a quiet whisper (1Kings 19:11-13). Will you obey and honor Him with reverence, regardless?

Compare this encounter with God to descriptions in Isaiah 6; 1 Kings 18; Acts 2; Revelation 4. How do you think a person should respond who has encountered God? Are we excused from this expectation because we haven’t seen God reveal Himself in these magnificent ways? What does 1 Kings 19:11-13 have to add to this?



Israelites’ experiences with God in the recent past included release from plagues and sea parting to reveal dry land. How should they have responded with such preparation?

• Explain that—though amazed at His power—they still should not have been surprised that He revealed Himself to them. He is God. Also, He had told them to prepare to encounter Him.

Why do we often arrive at a time of worship (at home, at church, etc.) without the expectation that God wants to speak to us? How do we break this habit? How do we respond to God revealing Himself to us? What does this look like?



Points:

1. The Lord fulfills His promise to make Himself known.
2. The Lord God is glorious, powerful, and holy.
3. When the Lord makes Himself known, we should respond in silence and with holy awe before Him.

LIVE IT OUT

How should seeing God’s power and holiness affect us? How should it impact our tendency toward mediocre morals and lukewarm living? What lesser options did God give if people didn’t want to be too serious about following Him?



How would you explain the delight of living holy?

• There’s no real alternative to the good life. As we choose holiness we will fall short, but we will also find fabulous experiences with life as it is meant to be lived.
• When we fail, we must be quick to confess and repent and ask for His help to fix messes we have made, and we must repair relationships we have damaged.

Once Moses came back down from the Mount Sinai we are told that he was to get the people ready to meet the holy God! If it were simply left up to Moses (or us) we would be in great trouble. However it is not left up to us—we serve a holy God who visits His people. Here we again see the terrible and awesome theophany of Yahweh as He visited Sinai the third day. Some have argued that the phenomena described in these verses are those of a volcano; however we do not have any compelling reason to take this to be the case. In other parts of Scripture, Yahweh’s appearance upon the earth evoked such theophanic activity (see 1 Kings 19:11; Job 38; 40; Ps. 83:15; Isa. 29:6; 66:15; and Nah. 1:3). The thunder and lightning, a thick cloud simply served to get the people’s attention and to demonstrate to them that they were not entering into a covenant with an impotent god of the ancient Near East. Unlike the other gods of the ancient Near East, this God did not need to be coddled, kissed, or paraded around in order to be fearsome. Rather than enter into a covenant with an impotent god of the ancient Near East they were entering a covenant with the omnipotent God—Yahweh—the living God! His holiness demands our respect and reverence as we encounter His presence—even nature responds to its Creator.



When we examine the Scriptures as a whole we find that similar phenomenon occur when Yahweh confronts His people. Passages such as Isaiah 6; 1 Kings 18; Acts 2; and Revelation 4 all show the awesome and fearful nature of our holy God. Notice that in Exodus 19:17 the text notes, “Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God.” At that point in history Israel was really born as a covenant people! No longer were they a simple Bedouin group wandering through the wilderness to flee from Egypt and all that went with it. No longer were they merely the offspring of Jacob/Israel, they stood now as a people to be consecrated unto Yahweh. Now they were a people standing before Holy God pledging to a set of laws that would bind them to Him and Him to them in a covenant relationship. Yahweh showed Himself to the people in both wonder and awe in the theophany which accompanied the meeting. At the foot of Mount Sinai the Lord came down on it in fire. Its smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently. Three descriptions stand out of this theophany, fire, thick smoke, and the mountain shaking violently. What is often missed by many commentators is that Mount Sinai served as a temporary sanctuary for the interval of the theophany. Some have likened the Mount Sinai theophany to the tabernacle in the wilderness. One could argue that both at the base of Mount Sinai and court of the tabernacle (where the non-priests were allowed) smoke and fire would be seen from the presence of God.1 While the comparisons may break down at some points, what is clear is that when Yahweh appears He does so with an expectation of holiness on the part of His people.



While the people pledged themselves to Yahweh (see 24:3) at the foot of Mount Sinai, He simply did not stay at the mountain. Rather, He moved with the people in the pillars of cloud and fire. The Israelites did not simply see or meet with Yahweh in the tabernacle, He constantly reminded them that He went before them. Likewise we don’t only meet God at church, but rather in everyday activities as well. Pray and ask Christ to keep your eyes open to Him so that you will see Him in the smallest events of each day.



God’s meeting with Israel was accompanied by thunder, lighting, thick cloud, loud trumpet sound, smoke, and violent shaking. Assuming these are not common elements present when God meets with you, what do you expect at those times?







Biblical Truths of This Lesson in Focus

• God declared that those people who faithfully kept His covenant would be His special possession, kingdom of priests, and holy nation.
• Remember that God’s grace does not excuse us from holy obedience; instead it sets the stage for our obedience.
• Determine to accept your role as part of God’s holy priesthood.
• Understand that we always must approach God on His terms, not our own.
• Understand where God puts boundaries, and mark those boundaries in your own life to avoid the unholy and to embrace the holy.
• Before coming to worship, practice the discipline of confession and repentance, preparing to meet Holy God.
• Come to church with the expectation that you will meet the holy God. God’s character has not changed.

Concept Study: Kingdom of Priests (v. 6)

God instructed Moses to convey to the Israelites that He would make them His “kingdom of priests” (Ex. 19:6) if they would heed His word and live in covenant with Him. The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament (translated 100-300 years before Christ), translates this phrase with the very same words Peter later quoted in referring to believers as a “royal priesthood” (1 Pet. 2:9). Thus, both the Old Testament and the New Testament communicate God’s expectation for His people to serve as a nation of priests.



So what does it mean for all of God’s people to function as a nation or kingdom of priests? Briefly, it means 1) that each individual believer or “priest” has access to God; 2) that the “priests,” individually and collectively, act as God’s representatives to the people who need to hear from God; and 3) that the “priests,” individually and collectively, facilitate people coming to God for repentance, fellowship, and instruction.


Spiritual Transformations
The concept of being holy just doesn’t come natural to us, does it? That is especially true when we associate holiness with moral purity and perfection. Most of us know we are neither.



With this study from Exodus 19 in mind, how would you define what it means to be holy unto the Lord?



Is holiness the result of a human decision or a divine work? Why do you think so?



How do you regularly prepare to encounter God in worship each week?



How do your church’s worship services and your personal worship acknowledge the holiness of the Lord?



What expectations do you have that you will have an encounter with the holy God in corporate or private worship this week?



How will you know He has revealed Himself to you and that you have met Him?

Prayer of Commitment

Dear Lord, I take seriously the call to be holy as You are holy. Therefore, I give myself to You. Fill me with Your Spirit of holiness that others may see You in me. Amen.

Be in prayer this week as we prepare for this new series on Holiness.

Have a blessed rest of the week and we'll see you on Sunday!

In His Love,

David & Susan