Israel's Exerience at Sinai (Deu. 4:10-19)

3/16/2009 5:14 PM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  Israel’s experience at Sinai

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Deuteronomy 4:10-19

 

          Message of the verses:  “10  "Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when the LORD said to me, ‘Assemble the people to Me, that I may let them hear My words so they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’ 11  "You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the very heart of the heavens: darkness, cloud and thick gloom. 12  "Then the LORD spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form—only a voice. 13  "So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone. 14  "The LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might perform them in the land where you are going over to possess it. 15  "So watch yourselves carefully, since you did not see any form on the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire, 16  so that you do not act corruptly and make a graven image for yourselves in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, 17  the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the sky, 18  the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water below the earth. 19  "And beware not to lift up your eyes to heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, and be drawn away and worship them and serve them, those which the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.”

            These verses refer back to when Israel was at Mt. Sinai, (Mt. Horeb in this text is Mt. Sinai), and God spoke to them but no one could see who it was who was speaking because God did not want them to be able to copy any image of God and therefore make an idol out of it to worship instead of worshiping God.  The latter verses in this section speak of some of the idols that God did not want them to worship, things like the likeness of male’s or female’s or animals or birds or any of the fish in the water.  When Moses was to die God was the one who buried his body so that the children of Israel did not worship him latter on.

            To worship the creation instead of the Creator is not what God had in mind for His people Israel or for His true Church today.  “God made man in His image, but idolaters make gods in their own image and thereby cheapen themselves and insult God.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  “I believe that idols today can be jobs, cars, hobbies, or things that take the place of worshiping God.  One’s spouse can be an idol if they truly take time away from the worship of God.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Continue to learn contentment.
2. Trust the Lord to guide my path today.
3. Give myself to the Lord for worship and service.

 

Memory verses for the week:                                              Ephesians 1:1-2

 

1. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus:
2. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

3/16/2009 5:38 PM