Israel Constituted as the Kingdom of God

The children of Israel arrived at Mount Sinai in the third month after leaving Egypt (Exodus 19:1). Here the people were organised into a nation. They were to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”, acknowledging Yahweh as their God and King (Exodus 19:4–6).

The Ten Commandments

While they were gathered there at the Mount, God pronounced the ten commandments to the nation. These ten commandments became the basis of the covenant that God made with Israel (Exodus 20:1–17; 24:1–8). The Ten Commandments are listed in Exodus 20:1–17.

The Law of Moses

Moses was given a moral code of laws to direct Israel in true worship and an appreciation of their God, and a genuine care for one another. The sad fact was that many in Israel turned these commandments into just a list of legal requirements and never understood the real meaning of them.

Jesus and the Law of Moses

Jesus brought out their true meaning in his Discourse on the Mount in Matthew 5–7. There he showed that there was a spirit that these commandments were to engender in the faithful and thoughtful Israelite. His words were: “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment” (Matthew 5:21–22). Again he said: “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:27–28). Jesus was showing that those commandments were to be thought about very seriously, and a person was to analyse his innermost thoughts to ensure that both his thinking and actions were in harmony with God’s ways.

When Jesus was asked “Which is the first commandment of all?” his reply was: “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29–31). Jesus here states the spirit of the ten commandments. If we love God with all our heart we will faithfully serve Him, and if we love our neighbour we will never think of doing him any harm or taking what is his. Christ’s words and actions throughout his life were a fulfilment of the spirit of all ten commandments, even showing the true spirit of the Sabbath law when he healed people on that day (Luke 13:10–16).

The Tabernacle and Worship

Moses was called up into the mountain by God and given the “pattern” or plans for the Tabernacle, the place where God would dwell among His people (Exodus 25:8). The intricate details are recorded in Exodus 25–31.

The Tabernacle was a transportable place of worship set up in the midst of the camp of the children of Israel during their journey through the wilderness. In reading through Exodus to Deuteronomy we find many details regarding the way that Israel were to approach God in worship. All the materials used and the furniture, as well as the sacrifices and offerings, pointed forward by type or symbol to the method of acceptable worship and approach to God through the Lord Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:17; Hebrews 10:1–7).

Adapted from “The Exploring the Bible Course” by David Evans