The purpose of this lesson: To contrast two spiritual approaches—that of control versus that of faith.  The nation of Israel illustrates the approach of control.  Christians as the church should illustrate the approach of faith.

The people “one is working with” basically determine what can happen in any situation.  For example, a quality teacher with quality skills and quality information may do wonders in one congregation and absolutely nothing in another.  Why?  A congregation that is highly motivated and desires guidance responds readily to good teaching and good information that is presented well.  However, a congregation that has little background, deep contentment with “the way things always have been,” who has neither goals nor desires, and does not wish to be guided anywhere will actually resist good teaching and good information that is well presented.  The problem does not lie in the teacher, the presentation, or the material, but in those who are recipients of the material.  One congregation of people wishes to understand and grow; one does not.

Make sure the students understand “the people” can react quite differently to the same stimuli.

We commonly make an assumption regarding Israel that betrays us when we reach conclusions about God’s work.  We assume that the Old Testament people known as Israel were very moral, highly motivated people with a deep knowledge of and appreciation for God.  We look at them as being basically spiritual.

To assume that Israel as a nation was properly motivated toward being righteous can betray today’s Christian conclusions.  Old Testament Israel at times had individuals motivated toward righteousness, but rarely as a nation did they move toward righteousness.

A simplified version of God’s effort/plan to deliver people from the spiritual slavery of sin and its consequences was this: work through a man who had a deep trust of God to produce a nation.  (The man was Abraham and the nation was Israel.)  Work through that nation to produce a Savior for all people.  (Again, the nation was Israel, and the Savior was Jesus.)  Through this Savior provide all people with access to God through what God did through Jesus.  By this access, provide all who would enter Christ hope as a result of forgiveness.

The simplified divine plan was from a man of faith to a nation of faith, from a nation to a Savior, from Savior to a world.  The breakdown was with the nation—rarely was the nation a nation of faith.  Interestingly, God continued with His intent even when He was miserably failed by people.

While God had much to work with in Abraham, He had little to work with in the Old Testament people known as Israel.  They spent generations as slaves in Egypt with the primary spiritual influence of many forms of idolatry.  Consider the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:1-17.  Verses 2-11 involve four basic commands that discuss their relationship with God.  Verses 12-17 involve six basic commands that discuss their relationship with each other.  Why?  They did not know how to correctly relate to the holy God, and they did not know how to correctly relate to each other.  These commands were given because of their ignorance, not because of their agreement.

Stress that Israel did not understand how to form relationships with God or people.  They simply did not know how to treat God or each other.  Their tragedy was formed on the foundation of their inability to form relationships—they did not understand the importance of how to treat others.

These commandments did NOT represent the way they had been behaving, but how they should behave.  Evidence?  God performed ten incredible miracles to secure their release from Egypt, and the people were relieved and glad—until they saw the Egyptian army chasing them. When the Egyptian army came near, they immediately forgot about God’s deliverance. They reacted as fearful slaves instead of freed people.  Read Exodus 14:10-12.  The people cried.  They asked Moses if there were no graves in Egypt.  Their predicament was Moses’ fault!  We (Israel) told you (Moses) all along to leave us alone—see Exodus 5:15-21.

Point out that Old Testament Israel’s behavior after deliverance confirmed they did not trust God.

They crossed the Red Sea, and they were jubilant—God was the greatest!  (See Exodus 15:1-18.)  Then came their travel in the wilderness of Sin, and they said they wished God had killed them in Egypt where they had plenty to eat.  God provided them with quail and manna.  Then they came to Rephidim where they had no water, and they said they would die of thirst.  God provided them with water.  Finally they were posed to enter Canaan (Numbers 13, 14).  They wept, grumbled, and said life in Egypt was better than what was ahead.

Never did the generation that left Egypt as adults trust the God that delivered them.  Throughout their Old Testament history, there were far more occasions of national distrust than trust.  Truly, God had little to work with—and they were the better of the nations that existed!  Read Deuteronomy 7:6-11, 8:15-20, or 9:4-6 lately?)

The generation that left Egypt was destroyed (Numbers 14:26-32).  Only a few times did the nation, as a nation, turn to God.

In our text today, Hebrews 12:18-29, the Jewish Mount Sinai is compared to the Christian Mount Zion. The fear of control is compared to the power of encouragement.  Is it because God changed?  No!  At first the same God worked with an “out of control” people.  He used the fear (terror) of the untouchable, fire, darkness, gloom, tornado, and an endless trumpet blast in an attempt to control them.  Israel was so filled with dread and trembling that all they saw was that closeness to God brought the horrible.  The Christian comes to encouraging conquerors, to a God who has blessed, and to a wonderful mediator.  They are a people who come in faith, not dread.

The basic contrast is the dread of being in God’s presence versus the faith and joy of being in God’s presence.  The contrast is between the fear of control (physical consequence) and the desire to be righteous through faith in Jesus.

Has mankind tamed God and made God gentle and harmless?  No!  It is the contrast between being a people who needed to be controlled and being a people who want to be righteous.  It is the contrast between being afraid to sin and not wanting to sin.  It is the contrast of being good because of immediate physical necessity and a desire to be righteous now and eternally.  It is the contrast between those who value physical well being and those who value eternal well being.

Never base your righteousness on the deception that you have God under your control!

Never underestimate the horror of the consequences of defying God, but never underestimate what God did for people in Jesus!  Only because of Jesus do we dare approach God!

As always, it is a terrifying reality to defy God.

For Thought and Discussion

1. Explain how the people “one works with” can determine the outcome of a situation.

The explanation should include the motivation of those who hear.

2. What assumption do we often make about Old Testament Israel that betrays us?

The assumption is that Israel as a nation was moral and spiritually motivated to follow God.

3. Give a simplified version of God’s effort/plan to deliver people from sin.

The divine plan was from man of faith to nation of faith, from nation of faith to Savior, from Savior to a redeemed world.

4. Contrast God’s work with Abraham (the person) and God’s work with Israel (the nation).

God had much to work with in Abraham, but little to work with in Old Testament Israel.

5. What did the first 4 of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:2-11 discuss?

They discussed how Israel should treat God.

6. What did the last 6 of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:12-17 discuss?

They discussed how Israel should treat each other.

7. Why were those two discussions in the Exodus 20 Ten Commandments?

Israel did not know how to treat God or each other.  They did not know how to behave.

8. Illustrate early Israel’s failure to trust God with the Egyptian army, the Red Sea, and the wilderness of Sin.

In each situation, show how Israel showed faithlessness instead of trust in God’s ability to rescue.

9. What does Deuteronomy 7:6-11, 8:15-20 and 9:4-6 say about Israel?

Old Testament Israel was small, faithless, and unrighteous.  They were not chosen by God because they were large, filled with trust of God, and filled with a desire to be righteous.  They were chosen because God kept His promise to their forefathers.

10.  In Hebrews 12:18-29, discuss the contrast between Mount Sinai and Mount Zion.

The discussion should include the need to control versus the faith commitment to be righteous in Jesus Christ.

Link to Student Guide Lesson 13

Copyright © 2009, 2010
David Chadwell & West-Ark Church of Christ

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